Meet Lucca, a 12-year-old German Shepherd who served over 400 missions with the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan. She lost her leg from an IED explosion during a patrol in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in 2012.
#Lucca protected troops on 400 missions in Afghanistan & Iraq b4 receiving near-fatal injuries on her last patrol pic.twitter.com/5lrQd3xwSr
— U.S. Embassy Press (@USAinUKpress) April 5, 2016
Lucca was honored for her heroism today by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals in Britain with the Dickin Medal, “the highest award any animal in the world can achieve while serving in military conflict.”
Lucca has become a symbol of hope for many, meeting the public at military outreach events #PDSADickinMedal pic.twitter.com/68f1xIgSXz
— PDSA (@PDSA_HQ) April 5, 2016
Congratulations to @USMC hero war dog #Lucca who received the #PDSADickinMedal in London today. Very well deserved! pic.twitter.com/ANQtl8WaOS
— U.S. Embassy Press (@USAinUKpress) April 5, 2016
Great to see all the love for war hero dog Lucca this morning – here she is with her #PDSADickinMedal. pic.twitter.com/GOso4aE12p
— PDSA (@PDSA_HQ) April 5, 2016
Lucca is the 67th recipient of this prestigious award:
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Lucca is the 67th recipient of the #PDSADickinMedal – the highest award any military animal can receive https://t.co/Un9mzXZvP5
— PDSA Press Office (@PDSApressoffice) April 5, 2016
In Britain, it’s considered the equivalent of the Victoria Cross, but for animals:
Three-legged bomb sniffer dog earns animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross https://t.co/4DjrcEb1NH pic.twitter.com/1lpqrZUktG
— Evening Standard (@standardnews) April 5, 2016
And according to PDSA, Lucca is the first USMC dog to ever win:
#Lucca's story. She's the first @USMC dog to receive the animal version of the #VictoriaCross @PDSA_HQhttps://t.co/dP1AVFwIt0
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) April 5, 2016
Well earned, Lucca and thank you for your service!
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