Christopher Willingham

Through all of her treatment, and despite the pain she was in, her temperament never changed. - Cpl. Juan Rodriguez There were no human casualties during Lucca’s bomb-sniffing patrols. Her career ended in March 2012 when she lost her leg and suffered chest burns from a bombing in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. Cpl. Juan Rodriguez, who was her handler at the time, stayed by her side throughout each step of Lucca’s recovery. The explosion was huge and I immediately feared the worst for Lucca, i ran to her and saw her struggling to get up. I picked her up and ran to the shelter of a nearby tree line, applied a tourniquet to her injured leg and called the medics to collect us.

Christopher Willingham