Orvis Dogs of the Day: Coot and Blue

Lance Cpl. Nick Lacarra, a 20-year-old improvised explosive device detection dog handler with Combined Anti-Armor Team 2, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and a native of Long Beach, Calif., holds security in a field with his dog Coot while halted during a partnered security patrol with Afghan Border Police on February 4, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder

A Facebook friend posted the above picture, which I found very affecting. So I went to check out the Marine Corps’ “Top Shots” albums, and I discovered the below photo, as well. Both of these images display the loyalty, bravery, and sacrifice of the dogs who serve alongside our marines and soldiers on the battlefield.

Lance Cpls. Matthew Scofield (left), 19, from Syracuse, N.Y., and Jarrett Hatley, 21, from Millingport, N.C., a squad automatic weapon gunner and an improvised explosive device detection dog handler with 3rd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, rest next to Hatley’s dog Blue after clearing compounds with Afghan National Army soldiers during Operation Tageer Shamal (Shifting Winds) on January 4, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder