Iraq war dog to retire with fallen Marine's family

(CNN) -- A U.S. military dog whose handler and best friend was killed in Iraq got a new assignment on Friday -- retirement with the late Marine's family.

It took the family months of lobbying to get the adoption approved by the military.

Lex was beside Cpl. Dustin Lee when Lee was killed in a mortar attack in Falluja.

In spite of his injuries, the dog didn't want to leave Lee's side after the attack, according to the Marine's father. Other Marines reportedly had to pull the dog away from the young man's body so medics could reach him.

Lex attended Lee's funeral in March, playing games with the 20-year-old Marine's younger brother on the sidelines.

Although some shrapnel remains in his body, Lex recovered from his wounds and returned to duty at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia.

Friday, the 8-year-old bomb-sniffing German shepherd was turned over to Lee's family to live out the rest of his life in Quitman, Mississippi.

"This is to certify that military working dog Lex, having served faithfully and honorably, was discharged from the United States Marine Corps on this 21st day of December 2007," a Marine read at a ceremony interrupted by occasional barks.

Afterward, Jerome Lee, Dustin Lee's father, crouched down and shook Lex's paw.

Lex seemed oblivious to his 15 minutes of fame as he lay at the feet of a Marine during most of the ceremony.

Jerome Lee had lobbied hard for months to adopt the dog. Marine officials initially told Lee that it would be no problem to get the dog. But persuading the service to give up Lex before the dog's mandatory retirement at age 10 proved to be a challenge.


The rest of the story can be read here from CNN.