Military & Charity Donations

Last year I was deployed in Sangin Afghanistan. Sangin is in the Helmand Province, located in Southern Afghanistan, and is basically the bad guy capitol. We would get internet access sporadically as we were constantly either under attack, equipment getting messed up, or being put into “river city” (all communication is shut down when someone gets killed). We had just come back from a week long operation, that was a tough one to say the least. We dished out a significant bloody nose to the enemy that week, but it cost us three Marines lives, and two good friends of mine wounded. To make things worse we lost a very close member to our team during that operation as well, one of our IED detection dogs, Cannon, during a firefight. We had just got back to the forward operating base, and we were all decompressing.

I was really feeling down, and missing Cannon, and just started Google imaging pictures of dogs. I was going through all types, and came across Wheatens. I then took the next step and sent out a flurry of emails shot gun style to over 10 different breeders, asking when they would have puppies available, and general time line and snap shot of my situation. I wasn’t able to get back near an internet computer for a couple days after that. When I got back to one, I had only one email back from all the breeders I emailed, Mrs Tammi. I think I actually choked up when I was reading the email of what her and Bryan offered to do for me. I actually had to leave the computer, because I didn’t want the Marines around me to see me all emotional and excited (got to keep that tommy toughnut image). That single email, completely turned my deployment around. My spirits were lifted, time went faster, and all my guys were just as excited as I was. We had a few nights sitting around with the guys, just yelling out dog names, to see which one would stick. Obviously y’all kind of know the rest, I came home, met Tammi and Bryan a couple weeks later, and I gained a little buddy. I was recently deployed again for a few months to Jordan, and I emailed Tammi, saying I don’t know how real parents do it, and leave their kids when they deploy, as I was having such a hard time leaving Bear. Anyways, I know everyone already knows what amazing people Tammi and Bryan are, but I just wanted to share the side of them that I was so blessed and grateful to see.