US Military rips away pet of deployed US Soldier shortly before Baghdad Pups can send puppy to safety in Minnesota

(This isn't my normal fare here, but I had to write about this because it is so tragic.  Please read.)

UPDATE 10-23:
Ratchet has come home!  He arrived in MN on Oct 22nd. Read about it and see some news footage here: http://www.getfreshminds.com/2008/10/ratchet-mn.html

In a little over 2 weeks, Ratchet's story spread all over the world. This post was dugg over 7000 times and reached the very top of the front page in Digg.

A petition for Ratchet's clemency was signed by over 70,000 people - from all the states in the US, and nearly 50 countries.  Articles were written about him on CNN online, the LA Times, the NY Post, USA Today and all over the world.  His story spread through Twitter, Stumbleupon, Facebook, email lists and forums.  It was front page news in both the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St Paul Pioneer Press.  He's been on WCCO, KARE11 and the BBC.

The attention not only raised enough money to rescue Ratchet, it also was enough to bring 12 other "Baghdad Pups" to the US.  Absolutely amazing.

UPDATE 10-15:
Ratchet wasn't released in time to make the Baghdad Pups rescue flight today, but he was released!  Baghdad Pups is going to go back for him on Sunday: 

http://wcco.com/pets/ratchet.iraq.dog.2.841350.html

UPDATE 10-14:

Ratchet is alive, despite the fact that someone put him in a meat freezer for over 8 hours this weekend. Baghdad Pups is attempting to make another rescue attempt this week. Please keep your fingers crossed for him!

One of my good college friends is in Iraq right now.  A couple months ago, she told me about Baghdad Pups, a really amazing organization that provides medical care, clearance and transport for the animals U.S. soldiers have come to love during deployment in the Middle East. 

There are some initiatives that everyone - regardless of their political views - can agree are fabulous.  This is one of those.

Baghdad Pups gives our soldiers hope by helping them send their pets home to safety.  It's such a unique and touching idea.  I couldn't wait to write about it.

Except today, I wish I could be writing about anything else.  Because something so awful has happened that I'm writing this through tears.

My friend has been held in Iraq by the stop-loss policy for over 15 months longer than her original commitment to the military.  It hasn't been easy for her--and the puppy she saved has been one of the few things that has kept her going.

We've been hearing about her puppy, Ratchet, on Facebook for months.  She's shared pictures of him as he grew from a frightened ball of fur to an adorable young dog.  We learned when he was accepted into Baghdad Pups, and how her parents were going to take care of him until she returned home.  She's kept us up-to-date on his travel schedule, and badgered us into contributing money to bring him home.

He was supposed to be on his way to Minnesota right now.  Except he's not. 

Last Wednesday, my friend's commanding officers seized Ratchet as he was on the way to the Baghdad airport en route to his new home with her parents. 

Why?  Because:

"It is against military regulations for active duty troops to befriend animals"

It gets worse.  According to the Baghdad Pups press release on my friend's behalf:

"Soldiers can face immediate court-marshal [for befriending animals] and some even see their animals brutally murdered by a direct gunshot to the head from commanding officers who will not bend the rules."

It was so close.... Ratchet was on his way to the airport.  And now he might be killed, just because some power-hungry officers decided to flex their muscles and punish an innocent animal because Gwen dared to care about him.

And to make it even worse, she is under military investigation for caring about a helpless puppy--something hundreds of other soldiers do in Iraq.

She is absolutely devastated.  I'm devastated for her.  I cried for days last fall after the cat I rescued died of old age. I can't imagine how horrid it would be to save and love a pet, to be full of hope that he will be a part of your life after you finally come home - and to have that cruelly snatched away.

I don't know why this has happened to her.  She has been through so much already.  It's just awful.

Please help me get attention for her.  She hasn't asked, but I'm hoping that we can help her.

This horrible situation is happening to Gwen, but it affects all our soldiers overseas.  They're in a terrifying situation every day, and it's not unreasonable to let them have the simple joy of having an animal that loves them.  Is it?

As a soldier wrote to Baghdad Pups:

“I have sacrificed a lot to serve my country. All that I ask in return is to be allowed to bring home the incredible dog that wandered into my life here in Iraq and prevented me from becoming terribly callous towards life.”

Could you take a minute to help spread the word about what is happening to my friend?  We want to get news out there about her case before the military decides to "eliminate the problem" by killing her dog. 

Could you please Digg or Stumbleupon this post or send it to a friend.  Or, if you're in MN, could you call one of our senators?

All we want to do is help Gwen send home the puppy that has made her sacrifices bearable... who was already on his way to Minnesota before the military decided to punish her by seizing him.

Thank you so much for your help!

If you want to know how to help Ratchet, click here to go to my follow-up post giving an update about his situation.

Comments

[Rebecca]

I dugg it! I love dogs, I hope it works out. All the best :)

[edlike]

stumbled.

thumbed up passed on to friends.

animals are one of the only absolutely pure and good things for people and this is absolutely unacceptable.

I hope your friend gets Ratchet back soon

[Wesley]

Dugg. I'm so sorry this is happening to her. It's horrible.

[Daniel Sitter]

It's Dugg and Stumbled Katie. A sad story, but not a hopeless one. Thank you for caring. You are Gwen's wonderful friend.

[Chrystie69]

Unbelievable! Dugg, Stumbled, reddit the works! I blogged it to my LJ too! I have 2 dogs I couldn't IMAGINE this!! I grew up at Fort Drum, NY my family is a military family and I can tell you none of my brothers would take that...

[Lisa]

That's complete BS - my friend wrote this book about her brother's experience bringing his befriended pup home to the states - he had lots of trouble making it work, but not from our military. This girl is getting the shaft for sure. http://www.44-days.com/

Hope things turn out ok for them.

[DDatx]

Have sent this to http://www.zootoo.com/
Perhaps their members can help apply some pressure, all my best hopes & wishes for your friend and Ratchet!

[Alysson]

Not only is this absolutely tragic and outrageous, it is indicative of the overall lack of human decency demanded by those pulling this military's puppet strings.

Caring for an animal...or another human being that doesn't come from your home country or possess the same belief system, for that matter - is contrary to the very fundamentals of our occupation in Iraq.

There is nothing more dangerous to any war than soldiers that show compassion and/or empathy for ANY being in the country being invaded. It is sick, sad and just WRONG. The only comfort in such a situation the understanding that Karma will ultimately balance the scale...perhaps sending these murderous officers back as dogs in war-torn countries for centuries to come.

[AbsinthAngel]

I emailed this to our CH7 breakfast show 'Sunrise', and to their stories editor. Hopefully they'll pick it up because our AU soldiers abroad could be dealing with the same heartbreak. Fingers crossed they give it some air.

[Amy]

Have you considered starting an online petition? Because it sounds like your dealing w/ US Army policies, if you haven't already done so, I would start an online petition, get as many signatures as possible, and forward it to both the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of Defense, and maybe include President Bush and Speaker Pelosi and let them know on the petition, that this policy is both cruel and inhumane and request they investigate this. Here a link to a popular online petition if you want to give it a try. Good luck! http://www.petitionspot.com/

[hymneforthedead]

ahhh, now i'm pissed. I'm mailing this to every news organization I can find.

[Soul]

That is wrong. I almost started crying read that. I hope things work out. I dugg it.

[William O]

Just added it to CurrentTV. Linked to the website. check it out at Current.com

[Anonoses]

I'd like for someone to release the name of her commanding officer who went about doing this. Trash like that deserve to be outed and condemned for their actions on the battlefield.

[GECKO]

This is wrong, what are they trying to prove by killing an innocent animal?? and god knows how many other animals are in this same situation!! what I find unbelievable is that soldiers cannot befriend animals, thats a complete lack of humanity, they are humans! not some piece of artillery you can pull off the assembly line with military budget, what's next?? you can't rescue civilians either??

[medbob]

Need more information.
I'm Retired Military. If you have any hope of influencing this situation, you need to get all the specific details out NOW.
The name and unit of the commander, and the specific regulation citation are necessary for folks to contact their congresscritter!
The only way for this to get done is an immediate "congressional".
NEED DETAILS TO DO IT!!!!!

[phil]

This really sucks, but as some people have said in a less friendly manner, your friend should have known this rule existed. It's highly irresponsible when joining any contract/obligation, let alone one as serious as enlisting in the military, to fail to understand all the rules.

It's probably a stupid rule.

The dog shouldn't have to die.

But your friend knew (or damn well should have known) that she was breaking the rules and that there could be consequences.

Being in the army isn't supposed to be normal life. You don't have the rights you normally do. You have to follow the rules. Expecting mercy towards an animal from an organization whose sole purpose is the use of deadly force against humans for (supposedly) constructive or defensive means is foolish.

[Sethra]

@theman Yeah, whatever. Hope the next dog you encounter is an abused pit bill who bites the face off your child and crushes the skull in its jaws. 'Cause you're an asshole and it's the least you deserve.

Anyway, I have emailed my congressman to see if he can help. Good luck to Sgt Beberg and Ratchet!

Love, Sethra(and her cocker spaniel Barney)

[amanda]

I dugg it. This is awful! The military has already asked so much of Gwen.

Please post the names and details so we can write our congresspeople, and local news channels.

[reason]

The commanding officer might have wanted sex in exchange.
Make the women's life miserable -> break the women's sense of hope -> then show the women a ray of hope through sex.

Its a standard interrogation methods.

[kk]

dugg.

this sucks, but i feel as though there is very little i can do solely with the information posted.

[Yu Gi Oh master 69]

In Fallujah we would be forced to gun down the packs of stray dogs because they would feed on bodies, and spread disease. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it civilians! I probably killed 100 dogs.

[Michael]

I emailed my congressional representative. This is a morally reprehensible situation which deserves to be remediated with those acting in malice of forethought to be dealt with in what civilians' (who after all run the country) refer to as, "common sense".

Regards.

[Kirill Baglemoff]

I was brainwashed and taught by the Russian Military how to be a heartless and efficient killer. I did not like to stay this way, so I came to America and used my knowledge and training to help people, and to create rather than destroy.
However, there shall be no illusions about what army is all about. It is a killing machine, deployed by the government, for protecting their personal interest and not the people's of eigher country! If she is not ready to kill her parents, or friends, or the dog for this matter - she is unfit for service, and shall not work for the government on the first place. If people have moral and ethics they go to church, not to the army. Crying does not help - it is sign of weakness. The problem is much bigger - it is different and the opposite of discussed above: what exactly America is planning to do with such officers or soldiers, who can shoot this puppy in the head, after the war will be over? Some of them will take pills prescribed by the psychiatrist, which will alter chemical reactions in their brain for life, leaving them mentally handicapped. But what you are going to do with those, who are trained how to withstand interrigation after they will realise that government does not wish to pay their medical bills? Are you waiting for another Bin Laden to come along?

[Animallver]

Does the person have a name and home state its hard to call up our senators to help this person w/o a name, and home state.