The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

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  • Misty Watson/ The Daily Citizen Ryan Kirby, of Marietta, plays with Recon, a dog adopted by the Charlie Troop while in Afghanistan, at Harmon Field on Tuesday following a welcome home ceremony.

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March 10, 2010

Doggone, Recon!

Jamie Jones Dalton Daily Citizen

DALTON — Recon barked. Recon bounded. Recon took a catnap. Recon rolled on his back. Recon licked faces. Recon posed for pictures.

Recon the dog joined the Charlie Troop soldiers dressed in camouflage standing in motionless attention at their “Welcome Home” ceremony on Tuesday at Harmon Field. The seven-month-old Afghan breed, sporting a shiny white and tan coat and almost limitless energy, served as the Charlie Troop’s mascot during the unit’s time away from families, home and comfortable way of living.

“He was much needed,” said Spc. Ryan Kirby, the dog’s owner. “We were on a little place tucked away right on the Pakistan border. We didn’t really have good logistics. We had nothing to really keep the morale up. A lot of bases had PXes, we had nothing. We were just glad to have something to shower in. Having that little puppy in there made everyone come together. It was great.”

Recon was — and is — a symbol of hope and perseverance.  He was rescued from the harsh Afghanistan terrain and nursed back to health by the soldiers. During a patrol last fall, Charlie Troop members spotted movement in the nearby rocks. It was a newborn puppy.

“We saw this little nothing come out of the rocks,” Kirby said. “He was so small he’d fit in your hand. His eyes were still closed. They hadn’t even opened yet. As a matter of fact, I let him lay on me sometimes.”

Family and friends of Charlie Troop sent over food and milk for Recon. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sponsored Recon and through donations was able to buy him a ticket to the U.S. He traveled from New York to New Jersey and through the Carolinas until arriving at his home in Georgia.

“He’s been a lot of places, seen a lot of things,” Kirby said.

1st Sgt. Ronnie Perryman said Recon survived “many trials and journeys” shared with the soldiers.

“I think that dog probably slept with everybody in the stands,” Perryman joked, referring to the soldiers.

Recon, who was named for the Charlie Troop soldiers’ response to commands, will live in Marietta with Kirby. But this won’t be the last the other Charlie Troop members see or hear from him.

Kirby plans to bring Recon to Dalton for drill exercises every month.

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