This summer I read a book called From Baghdad With Love by Jay Kopelman and Melinda Roth. It is a true story about a soldier who was a commander in the war with Iraq. In the beginning of the book, John finds a stray dog. The species is a Lava dog so his squad named it Lava. They are not allowed to keep pets in the Army so they had to keep the dog in secret. They were supposed to let him go but they got too attached. The reason they are not allowed to have pets in the Army is because they think that if you get too attached to your pet, then you could forget that you're supposed to kill, and it will make you not able to focus on the war at hand. You could get distracted. A warm, fluffy, friendly creature is usually not the best way to think about fighting a war.
Throughout the book, John has to find ways to get this puppy out of Iraq and to the United States before anyone finds out that they are keeping a pet. He is trying find a way to send Lava out and when he finds that his friend is going on leave for six weeks, he asks him if he can take Lava back. He can, but Lava needs vaccinations to leave the country.
Eventually, at the last minute John finds a way to get the vaccinations. He gets him out of the country safely and it's a happy ending! I think that this is really heart-warming and touching book about two faithful companions who help each other get through difficulties like war. Definitely a must-read.
