Deployments can be very isolating and depressing for soldiers as it means being away from loved ones and friends for long periods at a time. When Sergeant Kevyn Solarez went on his third deployment, it got a little depressing – especially around the holiday season. However, a little ray of sunshine walked into his life in the form of a puppy that had wandered onto the base. It was just what he needed to lift his spirits.
At the time, the little puppy was about two-months-old. Kevyn ended up naming her Josie, and she kept him company the whole time that he was deployed. The two formed a close bond, Kevyn even sharing his meals with her. As he later revealed, she was what got him through the time times of his Iraq deployment.
As he described to a local media outlet, “Just us kind of going through the hard times makes our bond a little stronger than average.”
Like all deployments, they eventually end. And soon, the time came for Kevyn to return to stateside. However, he couldn’t not fathom the idea of abandoning Josie and leaving her behind. Reaching out for help, he ended up partnering the the SPCA International in order to bring his beloved Josie back to the US.
While it took a whole 45 days to transport Josie all the way from Iraq to the US, the SPCA International did it. And soon, Josie and Kevyn were reunited. She was naturally a little exhausted and stressed from her long journey by plane, but the minute that she saw Kevyn again, she was all happy.
As Kevyn revealed about being about to bring home his best friend, it made the “whole deployment worth it.”
You can watch the precious moment of the reunion below:
Army sergeant reunited with dog he met in Iraq at Austin airport
A U.S. Army sergeant finally got to hold the dog he bonded with while stationed in Iraq. Friday, the SPCA International helped reunite the two back on American soil. https://bit.ly/2ErrRoa
Posted by FOX 7 Austin on Saturday, February 23, 2019
