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What This Marine Did To Honor His Cancer-Stricken Service Dog Is Fantastic

   DailyWire.com

After a week of more frustrating, head-scratching and at times outright soul-crushing news, it’s about time for something inspiring. Believe it or not, the Associated Press has given us just that. A Marine’s humble attempt this week to honor his cancer-stricken dog, with whom he served for years in Afghanistan and whom he adopted to help him with post-traumatic stress disorder, is everything that’s good about America and those who risk their lives to protect us here and abroad.

On Wednesday, Lance Cpl. Jeff DeYoung had to say goodbye to his long-time companion, Cena, a 10-year-old black lab who had served as a bomb-sniffer for the Marines for several years. DeYoung was paired with Cena while on tour in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010. After Cena retired from his important bomb-sniffing duties in 2014, DeYoung adopted him “to help him with his post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Cena was recently diagnosed with terminal bone cancer and had come to the end of his remarkable life, so DeYoung wanted to do something to celebrate him in a way he deserved. What started as a humble attempt to let the Muskegon community say goodbye to Cena turned into hundreds of community members — including servicemen and women from the Marine Corps, police and sheriff’s departments, and fire departments — showing up to conduct a “tear-filled” celebration worthy of an American hero.

“It started off with my basically wanting to go to a dealership and wanting to borrow a Jeep for a day and really small to a community tribute or a community parade for him and he’s truly deserved it all,” said DeYoung. “The support, all the love people are giving him, he can see it and he can feel it.”

AP describes what happened next:

As part of the celebration, DeYoung took his dog on one last ride in a topless Jeep that was decorated and named “Cancer Response Team.” …

The ceremony was attended by the U.S. Marine Corps League, Michigan State Police, Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office, Muskegon City Police, Muskegon Fire Department and officers from several other departments, including a canine officer named Rex. Attendees gave one final three-volley salute with “Taps” playing in the background for Cena, who was wearing a decorated blue Marine vest.

“My whole adult life I’ve had Cena,” DeYoung said. “When I was 19 overseas learning how to be responsible, I had Cena. And now I’m 27 and I’m having to say goodbye to one of the biggest pieces of my life,” said a tearful DeYoung. ​

AP notes that DeYoung “said he has carried Cena across rivers and thrown his body over him while under heavy fire from the Taliban,” and the dog kept him warm during the cold nights in the desert and “comforted him when he lost seven friends in three weeks.”

“Any dog that served overseas deserves exactly what I’ve done for Cena, if not more,” he said.

Image below of DeYoung, Cena and guest at the 6th Annual Hero Dog Awards 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on September 10, 2016:

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Read the full story here.

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