Good Dog
Posted by Lex, on January 17, 2011
King Cole was a field trial-bred black lab who died a long way from home:
Cole was born for sport, but died in battle. The spawn of two champion black Labrador retrievers, he was bread for field trials, a competitive sport in which dogs make complicated retrievals at the direction of their owners.
But destiny had other plans for him. He was donated to the Marine Corps and spent the last of his days saving lives by sniffing out improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan.
In Cole’s last moments, as Cpl. Brian Holm’s three-man unit searched for mines along a dangerous road near Delaram, in Helmand province, the black Lab looked over his shoulder at Holm, his handler. Holm later told his wife, Brittany, that he will never forget the look on Cole’s face. It seemed to say, “I won’t let them hurt you.”
Then the explosion hit.
A command detonated mine, apparently. I hope they got the guy who pulled the kite string.
