Let Veteran Adopt His Valiant but Badly Shaken Best Friend, Group Urges Air Force Secretary
For Immediate Release:
July 9, 2012
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
San Antonio -- PETA has dispatched an urgent letter to Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley respectfully urging him to order the immediate retirement of Diego, a loyal dog who saved lives by helping to detect explosive devices in Iraq. In the letter, PETA points out that Diego was severely traumatized after an improvised explosive device detonated inside the truck in which he and his handler, Iraq combat veteran Logan Black, were riding. To this day, Diego, like many human combatants, trembles at any loud sound.
PETA has also posted an action alert on its popular website urging visitors to contact Secretary Donley and ask him to grant Black—who suffers from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his service—his request to adopt Diego without delay.
"Both Diego and Logan Black served their country well, and both have suffered as a result of that sacrifice," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "They deserve the opportunity to enjoy each other's company now in retirement."
Diego and Black developed their lifelong bond while the two were deployed in Fallujah in 2006 and 2007. Diego—who is now decertified because of his fear of loud noises and is nearing retirement at the senior age of 8 years—is currently used as a demonstration aide at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. In an interview, Black said, "Leaving Diego behind … was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. Leaving a best friend who had saved my life multiple times over in Iraq."
PETA's letter to Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.