While in Afghanistan, in the midst of the hardships of war, Staff Sergeant Brian Van Fleet and his soldiers were followed by a pack of strays.
"They travel in packs and there was a lot of them, all over the place," said Van Fleet. However one of them was a little more special than the rest.
"It took me a little time to kind of gain his trust and get him to come to me, but once I did, he was right there the whole time."
It was four years ago that he met Odie, the dog that would become his faithful companion in the bleakest of times.
"That dog was one of the best friends we had out there. He was out on patrol with us. He guarded our gate with us. He was a member of the team just like anybody else," said Van Fleet.
This reminds me of Staff Sergeant Alex Brown and his reunion with his bomb-sniffing dog after being separated for two years.
Determined to not leave Odie behind, Van Fleet contacted an agency and spent a few thousand dollars to have Odie shipped to his home in Iowa.
"There's no way to express the companionship of a dog you've been to a combat zone with," said Van Fleet. "He has helped me immensely, more than any therapy could."
A year after Odie arrived in Iowa, he became ill. Van Fleet grappled with one of the hardest decisions he's ever had to make.
See the rest of the story of this soldier and his beloved friend below.
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h/t: KCCI
