No Buddy Left Behind: Bringing U.S. Troops' Dogs and Cats Safely Home From the Combat Zone (2 page)

I will forever be grateful to SGT Eddie Watson for falling in love with an Iraqi stray dog. If these two souls, caught up in the Iraq war, had not found one another, my life would have undoubtedly been quite different. I imagine I'd still be helping animals because I cannot fathom my life not immersed in what I love doing the most. However, I suspect I would have continued my work much closer to home-not in the middle of a war zone.

Thankfully, I responded to Eddie's desperate plea to save Charlie, and SPCA International let me go. This development led me to Iraq and to all the other animals after Charlie, rescued by Operation Baghdad Pups. These animals suddenly showed up at a moment when their gentle and reassuring presence was so desperately needed by the men and women called to fight a war.

Operation Baghdad Pups would not have saved one Iraqi animal if we'd asked the military for permission before launching the program. When contemplating the growing number of requests to save dogs and cats befriended by U.S. troops, it quickly became clear what had to be done-break the rules. After eighty-seven successful missions to Iraq, it is quite clear we made the right decision. I want to thank all the men and women who made the decision in the first place to risk so much in order to care for animals struggling to survive. These animals were destined for a short and miserable life in Iraq had their caregivers not broken the rules and given their wartime buddies the chance to live the kind of life they should have been dealt in the first place.

I have worked in the animal welfare movement since 1983, rescuing more animals than I could ever begin to count. While doing this I have encountered all kinds of people-from those who find it easy to be cruel to an animal to those who on a daily basis make enormous sacrifices to make sure animals are safe and well cared for. The people I have worked with who are connected with Operation Baghdad Pups are some of the most unselfish individuals who don't think twice about putting animals first. If the world were filled with people like them, animal suffering would end. They are indeed an inspiration.

As of May 2011, 280 dogs and 58 cats that had been born in the Middle East now call America home. They escaped a life of deprivation because of a team of tireless volunteers. Barb Hartman and Bev Westerman were the first two Operation Baghdad Pups volunteers. Their unselfish natures and complete devotion to all animals are remarkable. Since the program began we have laughed together hysterically and cried until we had no more tears. Throughout this journey we have never lost sight of how fortunate we are to be a part of an endeavor abundant in goose-bump moments. Barb and Bev are true friends to all creatures and my friends, too-the kind of friends who are few and far between. I will forever be grateful to them for being who they are and for always being there for the animals and me.

The other members of the Operation Baghdad Pups team who have transported animals halfway across the world have time and time again proved their commitment to animals, enduring some tough times but never complaining. The long hours sitting in airports and on planes flying animals from the Middle East to the United States are quickly forgotten when we witness those animals being reunited with the individual who means the world to them-who saved their life.

Flying into a war zone is indeed risky, but, thankfully, we have avoided the dangers. The precautions we continue to take have kept us safe. Still, the fact that the Operation Baghdad Pups team members are willing to take this risk proves they are a special breed of people. No amount of applause could show my appreciation for my traveling partners. These individuals have escorted animals to their new homes: Danielle Berger, Cassandra Dawes, Jerry Elfrank, Rebecca Fenner, Cindy Hurn, Sharon Maag, Matt McDonough, Janet Mercer, Linda Pullen, Charlene Ruttle, Billy Schweizer, Donald Smith, Mickey Sonstegard, Dave Souligne, Christine Sullivan, Michael Walsh, Bev Westerman, and Bev Wolfgram. I say to them, "Job well done!"

Four other team members deserve an even higher level of thanks for their exceptional support. They are my husband, Ken, and our daughters, Jennifer, Amy, and Megan. The choices I have made in my career have meant I have been absent from their lives more than I would have liked. To help make up for this, I have been able to take them with me to the Middle East to bring animals to the States for our troops. Seeing a part of the world many people never get to see, I believe, has helped them to see that they are a part of a global family, too. They have all gained a greater appreciation for what we have as Americans while being able to share their talents, kindness, and laughter with some incredible people they have met along the way. I am so incredibly proud of my family members, and I always feel their love no matter where I am in the world.

I would like to thank the SPCA International staff members who have been working right alongside me since Operation Baghdad Pups began. JD Winston, SPCA International's executive director, trusted me from the get-go and gave me the freedom to develop the program as I saw fit. We have shared some hair-pulling moments, but we always got through them as a team and as friends. It has been a learning experience in more ways than one, and I am grateful to have stepped outside the box, with JD always there to fall back on.

Stephanie Scott, SPCA International's director of communications, was the voice of Operation Baghdad Pups when we needed to gain the support of the public so more animals could be saved. Her persistence in getting the media to pay attention definitely kept the program moving forward. We've had some comical moments as we've tried to get animals to cooperate with producers in unfamiliar TV studios, some just hours after stepping foot on American soil for the first time. There have been the struggles, too, but each bump in the road has only strengthened Operation Baghdad Pups and our friendship.

Jennifer McKim was the first person to accompany me to Baghdad. Maybe, being my daughter, she did not have a choice, but I know she did it because she believed in the program. Working for SPCA International, she had the added insight as to why this program was so necessary. Her years of helping animals definitely added to the strong foundation Operation Baghdad Pups rose from. It has not always been easy having me as a mom, but Jennifer rarely complains. When she does, I know it is only because she loves me, and I feel the same way. A mother could never ask for a better daughter. She continues to make me extremely proud, and the accomplishments she has made on her own have greatly benefited animals, too.

The SPCA International board of directors has been in my corner from the beginning. The board has listened to the success stories and has cried with me when another animal was lost. The board members are as proud of Operation Baghdad Pups as I am, and their support has many times given me the strength to keep going.

In Iraq and Kuwait are people who have become treasured friends. Most of them originate from other countries, but their need to make a living has brought them to a part of the world that has welcomed me and given me some of the richest experiences of my life. I have shared some unbelievable experiences with this multicultural blend of people, all of them ensuring in their own way that Operation Baghdad Pups was able to save more animals. I say "thank you" to them in over a dozen languages.

Included in my new circle of friends are the security team members. They have been my heroes time and time again. What they were willing to do in order to get animals from point A to point B in Iraq proved their tenacity. On one of many missions, I got word that one of the vehicles in their convoy had rolled over an improvised explosive device (IED). I thought my worst fear had finally been realized. What a relief it was to learn that no one was hurt, including the Operation Baghdad Pups cat that was riding in the heavily damaged vehicle. This brush with disaster was a wakeup call about just how dangerous it is to travel around Iraq.

Some people might think it crazy to put human lives in jeopardy to save dogs and cats, but the security men reassured me repeatedly that they understood why they had to do what they were doing. They were doing it for the troops and the animals that had made a difference for them in a harsh and dangerous place.

While writing this book I spent five months at the Reed villa in Erbil, Kurdistan, located in northern Iraq. Reed is the security company that Operation Baghdad Pups has been using since October 2008. Their generosity allowed me to be in the country where the Operation Baghdad Pups animals were from, inspired me, and gave me my own understanding of what animals in Iraq endure every day. I could not have asked for a better place to be uninterrupted so I could focus on writing. The distractions were definitely few and far between. When the mid afternoon temperature hit 120, 130, and even 140 degrees in August 2010, I felt the same mind-frying heat that our troops and their wartime buddies had suffered through. I must confess I did not get a lot of work done on those afternoons. It's hard to work on a computer while getting drenched by garden sprinklers.

While I wrote, my good friend, Ameer Khoshaba, the dog handler and trainer for Reed Security, was there to support me. His cooking nourished me. His refreshing laughter and his spirit-lifting smile were welcome encouragement. The cups of tea he set on my desk provided much needed comfort. Our walks helped to clear my mind and to remove the infamous writer's block. Ameer kept me on track when I wanted to do anything but write, and he is a big reason my book got completed.

Watching my book become a reality has led Ameer to believe he, too, has a story to tell. Being Assyrian and Christian and living in Kurdistan have put Ameer and his family members in lifethreatening situations since he was a child. In spite of all they have suffered, this family whose members I hold dear has endured, and it is indeed an inspiration. It's a story that needs to be told, and Ameer will one day be the author he wants to be.

Deciding to write my third book came at a time when once again I was juggling a lot in my life, Operation Baghdad Pups being the biggest attention grabber. Thankfully, Andrea Hurst, my agent, found me. She knew that this story needed to be told, and she offered her expertise to ensure that it was published. Her lifelong love of animals also gave her a clear-cut reason to persuade me that I had time to share the stories piled up in my head. She was right.

Andrea suggested that a professional writer should join me on the book-writing project. Her recommendation brought a very special person into my life- Cindy Hurn. It turns out that we were practically neighbors and had shared a longtime love of writing and rescuing animals. We met at a coffee shop in November 2010 to explore how she might help me with my book. What I thought would be a two-hour meeting, stretched to six-and we could have stayed longer if other demands had not stopped us.

It was clear to Cindy and me after that first meeting that she and I had work to do together. I knew that Cindy, a talented writer with a keen sense about animals and people, would add another dimension to what I had already written. I could not be more thrilled to have gained a writing partner and a friend.

Facing an almost impossible deadline to complete this book, Cindy and I surprised everyone and got it done. Initially, completing this book required days of being holed up together in Cindy's house, sitting side by side on the couch as we worked. During January and February I was back in Iraq, so the final chapters were completed across the ocean. Throughout the process Cindy kept us on schedule, and for that reason you now have our book-truly an effort of loveto hold in your hands.

Maybe I was a dog or a cat in another life. That would explain why I feel so happy and content when I am around animals. I have felt this way my entire life. My love for animals comes as naturally to me as breathing. Their unconditional love has continuously enriched my life, giving me friendships more valuable than any material possession. The 311 animals that came into my life, between February 2008 and March 2011, through Operation Baghdad Pups, are some of the best buddies I have ever known.

This book is for them-the four-legged heroes from Iraq that I have been blessed to know and help. As many people worked to save them, they were unknowingly mitigating the scars of war that U.S. service men and women suffer. What started as an effort to save one dog has turned into so much more. May the hard work of everyone associated with Operation Baghdad Pups continue to result in no buddy left behind.

The face of each of the Iraqi dogs and cats will forever be etched in my mind and heart. Each time I am reminded of one, I smile. It is a comfort to know that they are now smiling, too.

-Terri Crisp

Cynthia Hurn

My first and sincerest "thanks" goes to Terri Crisp for this incredible six-month story-telling mission, during which our joint writing effort spread between California and Iraq and crossed thousands of cyberspace miles.

It didn't take long for me to discover that Terri really is "all about the animals." While staying with her in Iraq, I watched her in action as she constantly focused on planning the next rescue and on making the world a safer place for her four-footed friends. Whenever someone says, "it's impossible," Terri quietly leaves the room, gathers the people who she knows can help, and, before you know it, the impossible has been accomplished while those she left behind are still shaking their heads and murmuring, "it can't be done." She is a remarkable person in many ways, a good story-teller who is fun to write with, and when Terri sets her mind on helping an animal in need, she truly becomes a miracle worker.