"FLUFFY", Iraqi Freedom

"FLUFFY", Iraqi Freedom

The United States War Dogs Association





Painting by: Terry Waldron



"A Fallen Comrade"

17 October 2008

I have just been informed that K9 Fluffy has died.

He was an inspiration to all of us Vietnam era Dog Handlers. I for one will always remember Fluffy. He was the living Memorial to all of our War Dogs who did not return from Vietnam.

I am one of the lucky one. I will have his bite mark on my left arm forever.
May "Fluffy" Rest in Peace.

Ron Aiello, President, USWDA

Please read Russell Joyce's email informing me of Fluffy's death.

Hello to All,

On 16 Oct. 2008 K920Fluffy (Iraq War vet) died. He served his country and my family and will be missed dearly! His BIO was best written by Lisa Hoffman and is attached at the end of this letter.

Fluffy was my Comrade in arms first, then he walked into my heart as my friend and became my buddy then he became part of my family. He was loving to every member of my family. I felt a sense of comfort being thousand of miles away knowing he was there at my house protecting and loving my family when I was not able to due to that job. He comforted my kids when they where hurt or sad, he warmed there hearts and took fear away just by his presence. He comforted my wife, laying in the bed with her when I was20far away from home with no way to contact her. He was a brother to my kids a son to my wife and my best friend. When I call home from over seas I talk to my wife then my girls and then my comrade, my friend my boy, Fluffy.

I have had animals through out my life and I have never had one get so close to my heart! He was here for a purpose! And I will never forget him! He was not a pet! He was a soldier first. During our time in Iraq he checked on me and I checked on him. He was one of the team, he was my battle buddy! If I sat down he would sit no farther than five feet away. If I got up and moved ten feet he would get up and move ten feet. He was my shadow in war and at home. When I was not there he was serving my family! He will always be my shadow. I may not be able to touch his head or scratch his ear but I do feel him in my heart! I only pray that he felt the same amount of love in return.

I am half way around the world once again and was not able to comfort him in his time of need. This is my only regret. I pray that he knew in his heart how much he was loved and respected. I feel he knew how important it was for him to come to America and how important that was for all the Vietnam K9 Handlers. He was a living me morial to so many. He was truly a Hero to many and for many different reasons.

I thank Fluffy for introducing me to all you wonderful people. With out him we may never have met. So I am thankful for your friendship and support to myself, my comrade and my family. Thank you.

If anyone would like to do anything for my family or Fluffy please just keep them in your prayers. Do not send anything! Read about what made Fluffy’s mission in life so important! Read about the K9’s used during the Vietnam War and what the Handlers did to make sure that never happens again and what they are doing today! Tell Ron we said hello at www.uswardogs.org and read these other sites:

www.scwda.org

www.bucksheroes.com

If you are ever at Fort Benning GA “Home of the Infantry” stop by the Museum when it reopens in March 2009 and you will see both on fluffy aswell as other K9’s stories from other Wars and conflict areas. Donate to the building of the K9 Memorials going on there. For more info you can contact Jessie through the Museum.

Stop by your local police station and see if your K9’s who protect you daily need anything! They are generally poorly funded!

Your friends

Russell & Fluffy

And the entire Fluffy family.

Fluffy,s Bio by Lisa Hoffman

Fluffy the war hero loving life in the U.S.

In war, there are few winners whose lives are changed wholly for the good.

Fluffy the "commando dog" is one of them.

Malnourished, abused and missing teeth, Fluffy was rescued from his miserable existence in Iraq by a U.S. Army Special Forces A-team early in the war. Serving as a makeshift sentry and guard in the northern reaches of the country, the raggedy German shepherd saved the soldiers' lives more than once.

When it came time to come home, Sgt. 1st Class Russell Joyce -- who gave the dog his irreverent name, dosed him with TLC and molded him into a first-rate protector -- couldn't bear to leave Fluffy behind.

After a full-bore effort to bend bureaucratic rules by Vietnam War veterans, a handful of U.S. lawmakers, and countless animal lovers nationwide, Fluffy made it to America and a new life with Joyce's family in North Carolina in June 2003.

In the three years since, Fluffy -- via his adoptive humans -- has himself become a force for good.

He's helped raise money for the U.S. War Dog Association, a nonprofit outfit of former Vietnam War dog handlers and others who are establishing a memorial to the thousands of canines who have served -- and died -- alongside GIs in more than 80 years of U.S. wars, Joyce said. www.uswardogs.org

"Russell and Fluffy have been a real boost to our organization," said Ron Aiello, president of the group and a Vietnam vet.

Meet K9 Fluffy and the Joyce Family

Click on above link.

The "Paws to Rcognize" contest is over and as much as I hate to say it, Fluffy did not win first prize. I was told that Fluffy did receive more votes then the canine winner of the "2003 Paws to Recognize:.

I would like to congradulate the winner of this contest:

• Trouble: A proud member of the elite Beagle Brigade at Miami International Airport, Trouble and his partner Canine Officer Sherrie Ann Keblish are helping to safeguard America's agriculture resources by intercepting prohibited fruits, vegetables, meats and animal byproducts that could carry foreign pests or diseases that could be introduced into the United States. Trouble and his partner recorded 115 notable interceptions and prevented a potential disaster for Florida's citrus industry by sniffing out a quince fruit, which was infested with 20 Ceratitis Capitata larva (Mediterranean fruit fly).

• Gentle Ben: As part of the Delta Society® Pet Partners® program, Gentle Ben does his best work “behind bars.” At a juvenile detention center in Washington State, the 165-pound Newfoundland works with his partner Pat Dowell to assist youngsters, many of whom have been abused by their trusted human caregivers. Ben helps the youths learn confidence, trust, responsibility, patience and skills that can help them later in life. At a local medical center, Ben visits patients in the pediatrics, rehabilitation, psychiatric and radiation oncology units. Ben’s gentle presence relieves stress in both kids with serious illness and their parents and puts smiles on lots of faces.

Selected from a total of six U.S. canine finalists representing Search & Rescue Dogs, Police Dogs, Guide Dogs and Military Dogs, Trouble and Gentle Ben received the most votes from the 100,000 Americans across the country who logged on to pedigree.com to vote in the Pedigree Paws to Recognize program. Voting began in April and ran through Labor Day.

I was told by Pedigree that the number of votes for all of the contestants were so great that all of the canine contestants had their paw prints placed in cement to create a Hollywood style Canine World Heroes Walk of Fame.

I would like to take this time to thank all of you for voting for Fluffy.

___________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

A storied dog has his day

By Melissa Willett
Staff writer

Staff photo by Cindy Burnham

Fluffy attends a book signing with his owners Samantha, left, and Elise Joyce on Saturday at Fort Bragg’s North Post PX. Samantha co-wrote “Fluffy’s Story Part 1: Fluffy’s Journey”; Elise contributed drawings.

When Caroline and Russell Joyce began telling people how their dog, Fluffy, came to live with them, friends encouraged them to write a book.

That’s what Caroline Joyce, an elementary schoolteacher, did with the couple’s two daughters, Elise, 9, and Samantha, 14. Caroline Joyce thought it would be a good distraction for the girls during her husband’s frequent deployments.

The book, “Fluffy’s Story Part 1: Fluffy’s Journey,” is based on a true story and follows Fluffy’s encounters with different animal characters — fleas, a mole, a hedgehog and a bird. Fluffy, a German shepherd, is between 6 and 7 years old.

On Saturday, the Joyces signed autographs and sold copies of the book at a post exchange on Fort Bragg.

Caroline Joyce and Samantha wrote the book; Elise drew pictures of the authors, the artist and herself in the back of the book.

The girls handed out bookmarks and a Fluffy trading card with each $14.95 book. Russell Joyce said half of the money made goes to the U.S. War Dog Association. The remaining profits will be used to write three additional “Fluffy’s Story” books.

Protecting the camp

Fluffy’s story began in 2003 when Russell Joyce was deployed to Iraq. He asked the locals to find him a dog to protect his base camp.

That’s when Russell Joyce met a malnourished and abused dog he jokingly named Fluffy. The dog weighed 36 pounds. Today, he’s 40 pounds heavier.

When it was time for Russell Joyce to return home, he wanted to bring Fluffy with him. He sent an e-mail to the U.S. War Dog Association asking how he could get his dog home.

He thought the message was private. Days later, however, it was distributed over the Internet along with his home phone number.

“The phone started ringing and it never stopped,” Caroline Joyce said. “We were not looking to bring home a pet.”

Russell Joyce said Fluffy deserved a good life since the dog protected his unit.

The e-mail stirred up senators and brought out emotions in many war veterans who had to put their dogs to sleep during the Vietnam War, Caroline Joyce said.

The Air Force wouldn’t bring Fluffy to America because he was foreign, and the Joyces said it was too expensive to bring the dog to Fayetteville.

Through a series of phone calls from the U.S. War Dog Association, Vietnam veterans and senators, Fluffy was able to come to the United States to stay with the Joyces.

On Saturday, Elise stamped Fluffy’s paw print on the purchased copies of the book and watched Fluffy obey her dad’s commands to sit, lay down and play dead.

“We’ve been trying to socialize him,” Russell Joyce said. “But you have to realize he wasn’t a pet. He had a job to do.”

Fluffy sat patiently as 4-year-old Peighton and 6-year-old Paige Burge rubbed his head and gave him hugs.

Russell Joyce showed the girls how to hand Fluffy treats so the dog wouldn’t bite them.

Their mom, Shelley Burge, said the girls love dogs and their family does animal rescue work.

“We came here today just to see him,” Shelley Burge said. “We just moved here from Fort Gordon, Georgia. We came here to the PX and saw a flier that they would be here and my oldest daughter didn’t let me forget.”

Staff writer Melissa Willett can be reached at willettm@fayettevillenc.com or at 486-3574

__________________________________________________

Iraqi war dog stars in children's book

4/1/2006 4:56 PM
By: Ilin Chen & Web Staff

(Fort Bragg)-- Russell Joyce first met Fluffy when his special forces unit needed a dog for protection and the locals brought one to them.

"they kind of rolled out a blanket and out popped fluffy. and, he was a little surprised to see all these guys in uniform."

The two bonded, and after his tour of duty in Iraq, Joyce had to cut through a lot of red tape to bring the german shepherd home.

Fluffy spent the first few years of his life in iraq. and now that he's in the U.S., he's officially retired and ready to take on a new position.

Caroline Joyce, Russell's wife explains,
"this dog is definitely something very special, and he has attached himself to our family. he's very protective. it's been wonderful."

Fluffy is now starring in his own children's book which tells the story of his journey to America and the animals he meets along the way.

The book was written by Joyce's then 13-year old daughter.

"Him and my mom had tried writing it, and they thought 'maybe we should give it to Sam.' so they did. and i just thought it was a really great story my dad did. we all loved it. so, i sat down, i wrote it, we did it as a family, and it was great."

Half the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the U-S War Dog Association.

The group is raising money for a memorial in New Jersey.

Now that this war dog is retired, he doesn't have to deploy anywhere and gets to continue his journey at home in North Carolina.

If you'd like more information on Fluffy or the book visit www.k9fluffy.com

_________________________________________________

8 February 2004

Hello To All,
Well I hope the past couple of months have been great for everyone. Please understand that I do not like that everyone knows that I am out of the country. So I have my wife answer my e-mail. During this last trip I was able to have access to my mail, so I did my best to answer your questions, and Bonnie does a great job of answering questions as well. Due to my deployment I am late in starting the judging of the contest. So what we will do is vote today and tomorrow (9th through the 10th of February) and the winner will be announced on the evening of the 11th! I hope this works for everyone!

The next issue is thank yous. I am so proud of so many people for their support of our troops. Ron from the U.S. War Dogs Association in NJ for supporting K-9 and regular troops with care packages and letters. It was Ron who paved the way for Fluffy to return home, as well as all the past Military Veteran Dog Handlers and Search and Rescue handlers, Space Coast War Dogs in FL, who called in support and worked hard on getting fluffy home. Thank's, each one of you and your K-9's for your service to our country. Keep up the great job of supporting the present and future dog handlers. Thanks to all the SF men who used these men and their K-9's in past and present wars, great job thinking outside the box! We will see you at Rolling Thunder, Washington D.C. 2004.

A great big Thank you to Audrey and the Kayla's Club members in Houston T.X. for their support for our troops through letters to wounded Soldiers and letters to troops that they have adopted! Great work guys, you should be very proud of yourselves. Audrey does so much using animals and animal therapy for kids in need.

Thank You to Bonnie for her great work and support of our troops. She spends her own time and money helping so many others, she donated Fluffy's site and other
web sites only to help others.

Thank you to Ms. Gaffok, Mrs. Portnaj and the members of Heritage High school for their letters and packages to our troops. Thank you to Ms. Sweger and the members of the JR Beta Club, Irwin Middle school of Fort Bragg, N.C. for your letters to our troops and your efforts to thank soldiers. Thank you to Mrs. Byham and the Ridge Avenue Elementary School for your letters to our K-9 troops. These guys get over looked at times and they are very thankful for your letters! So, to all of these people, clubs and members thank you for taking a part in our military and America!

Thanks to Woody and the members of the FDNY for their support and gifts to our military! And thank you to Lem and the Fayetteville Fire Departments for their support. Thank you all for your friendship and your service to our country! Keep up the great work.

I hope the actions of these fine people sparks an interest in all who read this to make an effort to support our troops. To support our Firemen and women, Policemen and women and all who are active in the goal help others make America the greatest place to live! Remember we are free people, but at the cost of so many at home and abroad.

Your Friends, the Fluffy Family

8 February 2004

September 11, 2003

Search & Rescue and Service Dog Day

at the USS Intrepid, New York, NY,

I would like to thank so many people for this past weekend's visit to NY and the USS Intrepid. First is Scott Shields. What a great man! He seems to give so much to so many all the time. I am proud to call him my friend. He and the people around him work very hard to help others in their time of need. Never Forget that NY! Thank you Scott and Nancy. Great Book!

   Next, to the Crew and staff of the USS Intrepid, what a great welcome you gave myself and Fluffy, even though Fluffy was very wound up because of all the other dogs that attended. These men and woman made Fluffy and myself feel at home. I am truly honored to have met all of you. Thank you for your hard work during this event. Thank you.

   Next is a great big Thank You to the US War Dogs Association and all of their support from Vietnam till today and into the future. These men fought in Vietnam and came home to a nation in turmoil. They never received a welcome home. But every time other troops have returned home from serving our country these vets have been there to say "Welcome Home and Great Job." Well I am honored to know you and welcome home to you! Thank you for your friendship and service to our country. Thanks to Ron, Don, Tom, Bob, Frank, John, Al and so many others. If you have the means to donate to the memorial fund please do. This will honor so many who have given all!

   I would like to also thank so many Americans who support our troops and our country. It's a tough job being in the military. We miss so many things in our own life that most people take for granted. The birth of our children, first steps, proms, etcâ€¦ but our hearts are warmed by the sites of American flags flying all over in our hometowns. (If you do not have one, get one and show your pride 365 days a year.) And opening a letter of thanks from all the Americans who take the time to write! Thank You.

   I would also like to thank all the service men and women lying in a hospital bed, wounded during their service to our country. Thank you for all that you have given. Please get well soon. And to anyone who would like to write to a serviceman here are two hospitals:
A wounded Soldier, Airman, Marine or sailor
Bethesda Naval Hospital
8901 Wisconsin Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814
Or
   A wounded Soldier, Airman, Marine or sailor
   Walter Reed Army Medical Center
   6900 Georgia Ave
   NW Washington, DC 20307-5001

Thank you for those who take the time to write. My kids and I send 10 get well/ great job cards each every other weekend. Please find time to send at least one. Thank you.

And a Very Special Thanks to Bonnie Buckley who is the Web Designer of the k9fluffy.com web site. This site is donated by her and she spends many hours of her own time helping others. Its because of her kindness you get these updates. And She spends all her free time thanking troops. Take the time to thank her aswell.

Remember all the Americans who went to work 2 years ago today and never returned home. Never Forget! God Bless America!!!

Thank you all so much,
Russell and Fluffy

k9fluffy.com

"Fluffy's Story" by: Russell Joyce

The story of how Fluffy came to the United States is an interesting and very improbable one. It all began in northern Iraq where I had been stationed during "Operation Enduring Freedom". The Special Forces team that I was with requested that we get a dog for sentry and guard duties. The team said that they had used dogs while stationed in Afghanistan and they proved to be a very useful deterrent against people entering the compound. This request came during the beginning of the ground war.
In an attempt to fulfill the team's request for a dog, we enlisted the help of the Kurdish people with whom we were working with in the north. A man by the name of Kordo said that he might know of where to obtain a dog. He knew of a German Shepherd and a Rottwieler that may suit our needs. I have had Dobermans my whole life and was ready to try another breed, and they can be hard to handle at times. So I went with the Shepherd.
A few days later, the Kurds brought an underweight German Shepherd who was obviously been neglected and abused. The dog was very scared and nervous, presumably from the long and frightening journey that it had made. From what we understand the dog was previously in the care of the Iraqi. He had been beaten and we could see the obvious scares over his face and front legs.
The dog is considered to be an unclean animal and therefore is not treated in the way that we, as Americans, are accustom to. Dogs are not considered pets or companions. The only two purposes for a dog in the country of Iraq are for sheep herding or as a guard dog. The Iraqi people try to refrain from touching a dog with their hands and will only permit themselves to touch the animal with their feet if they absolutely need to.
The first night that the dog was with us in our compound, he didn't bark or make a sound at all, he only coward in the shadows. The team expressed their displeasure with the dog for not being a very good guard dog. I, however, felt that so many Kurds had worked very hard to find and bring us a dog that we had to give him a chance. I knew that the dog had been through some obvious trauma and that it would take him a while to get used to his new surroundings. A couple of nights later, the dog did nothing but bark because there were a group of stray dogs outside of the fence looking for a few scraps of food. This may be a good time to mention that there is no dog food to be found in the country of Iraq. The dogs are fed only scraps from the families' food. Anyway, the next couple of mornings the team again expressed their disappointment in the dog because he had barked all night long.
It soon became obvious to me that the responsibility of training and taking care of the dog would be on my shoulders. I found this rather ironic, since I was the one who was against getting a dog.
I had even initially tried to talk the team out of it, but they were so adamant that a dog could be a great asset and this was my first mission with this team, so I felt they must know what they were talking about. Although I had been to dog training classes in the past for Doberman Pincers, when I was younger, and some classes with the military, but I was fully ready to admit that I had little experience training a dog for military duties. I figured that my first step would be to gain the trust of the dog and what better way to do that then to start feeding him some of my own food. Out of all the dogs I have worked with in the past the reward program seemed to work the best. At this time his name was Tera Kazez. I called him Terror for short.
Terror seemed to learn things very fast. In only two weeks he could correctly walk patrol, meaning he stayed on my left and would stop when I stopped and he would look at the direction I pointed to. He was even becoming very protective of the Americans. I had some help with him in these early weeks. When I had to leave on patrols, my friends who were in the rear would help take care of him. They would echo the commands that I used so he would learn English.
As we went south he went with us. By this time Fluffy had lived through two shootings. His name should have been Lucky, but after talking to my team, I made a joke about changing his name to Fluffy and when I said Fluffy, he looked right at me. That's when it hit me that he seemed to like the name and my kids would love it as well. So I changed his name to Fluffy. The team was not happy with a guard dog named Fluffy! But I liked it and so did he!
Fluffy and I worked together the rest of the time. I think he knew I was his best friend and he was mine. And about 4 weeks before I was to return home, I found out about a regulation that the Vietnam vets had worked on for years. The regulation permitted war dogs to return home from combat. The second part of the regulation stated that the handler gets first option to adopt the animal. So I spent the rest of my time getting Fluffy reclassified as a military working dog. He was at no time considered a pet or a mascot.

Two weeks before my return home I thought I had my T's crossed and my I's doted. Boy was I wrong! I got ready to board the plane when I was told Fluffy could not go. So I scrambled to find my friends in the 506th K-9 unit. I asked them to hold him for me until I could work out the problem with the paperwork. I was told they could only hold him for three days since they were expecting another K9 to arrive to their unit. I was given the name of two men who could possibly help. So I got on the plane and returned home.

After landing I saw my wife and kids who where expecting to meet Fluffy and me. So I told them of the problem with the paperwork. The ride home was a scary one. I was not sure what would happen to Fluffy. I just felt like I had let him down. He worked very hard to keep us safe and now his fate rested in my hands.

I returned home at 3:00 in the morning. I awoke at 9:00 and started trying to find the regulation number that covered this. I contacted some Government agencies and was given the name of a few prior military dog handlers. Ron Aeillo and Monty Moore, I called and wrote to them. It is now noon on Sunday and I was no closer to getting him home. The next three days seemed to last a year. The letters that I had sent to 3 people some how got sent into cyber space and sent to thousands! I tried to slow down the fury, but it was moving at a speed in which I could not match. I never meant for this much press on the situation. But I never thought I would wake a sleeping Giant, The Vietnam dog handlers! And rescue groups!

The military systems seems to work slow but they where working on it. Now my phone would not stop ringing. It was filled with support from Vietnam vets and their stories. It would also ring with stories of mothers and fathers who had sons and daughters over in Iraq. They wanted to help me in any way they could. It was filled with rescues that just wanted to help and say thank you for our service to our country. It was filled with Senators and military officials whom received overwhelming calls in support of Fluffy. My phone was filled with Americans fighting for Americans. Suddenly this was much bigger than Fluffy or myself.
The fight for Fluffy lasted 3 weeks. So many people in the military where fighting to support this mission. Fluffy was not a rescue, he was a sentry dog and that is how he was used. That's what made this different. This has never been done before, I mean taking a dog from your enemies and making him work for you.

People wrote calling me and Fluffy heroes, but we where not the heroes at all. It is the people who made this a fight for America. The military dog handlers who serve and protect others. It's the search and rescues that find lost kids, or attempted to rescue survivors from September 11th. Or the police k-9 teams who put their lives on the line to protect us. It's the fire fighters and medical people who work all hours to help you. It's the men and women of the armed services who leave their families to go off to foreign lands to free others. It's the families who are left behind to continue their lives while their spouse is away. It's the men and women who did not return or will not return. It's every American who owns an American flag and flies it with pride. And most of all its all the Vietnam War vets who never got a welcome home and were forced to leave behind their dogs that saved so many American lives. These are the American heroes. So if you fit this profile than smile and go do the best job you can because someone's life will change due to your good deeds. Mine Has!

Fluffy's first visit to Washington, DC

SFC Russell Joyce, "Fluffy" and Ron Aiello

Pay tribute to our fallen comrades by visiting

"The Vietnam Veterans Memorial"

Washington, DC

28 June 2003

6/01/03 Fluffy's first Trip

Fluffy's first site seeing trip will be to Washington, DC and a visit to the Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial this coming weekend. SFC Joyce and Fluffy will be in Washington, DC from Friday June 6th through Sunday June 8th

5/31/03 Fluffy Is Home with the Joyce's.

From: Ron Aiello

Sent: May 31, 2003 10:45 PM

Subject: Great News of an Update:

The Joyce's family are all together now. SFC Joyce and Fluffy have arrived home safely and I can tell you they are both very happy to be together again. Bless them both.

5/31/03: Fluffy has arrived and they are on their way to Fort Bragg.

From: Ron Aiello

Sent: May 31, 2003 8:21 PM

Subject: Another UPDATE on Fluffy

I have been notified that SFC Russell Joyce has Fluffy with him and the two are on there way back to Ft. Bragg.

5/31/03 Fluffy is on plane heading to AFB in SC.

From: Ron Aiello

Sent: Sat May 31, 2003 4:28 pm

Subject: NEW UPDATE

Everything has changed. SFC Russell Joyce is at this time waiting at the CHARLESTON AFB, S.C. for Fluffy's plane to land, which should be in 30 minutes, 5PM, Sat. May 31, 3002. Fluffy is almost here.

5/28/03: Good News Fluffy is on his way to the USA.

From: Ron Aiello

Sent: May 28, 2003 3:24 PM

Subject: Fluffy Update

Great News: Fluffy is on his way to the USA. He left this morning on a flight out of Iraq with Major Pompano his offical military escort. He should be arriving in the USA on Saturday , May 31, 2003.

5/24/03: Update

May 24, 2003

Ron Aiello, President

United States War Dogs Association

Fluffy Update:

Here is the scenario for Fluffy coming to the United States.

Fluffy will be coming to the United States through the Military?s Adoption Program (H.R. 5314:). The first step will be for Fluffy to be put into the military system at Lackland, AFB, Texas, as a Military War Dog. Then arrangements will be made to have Fluffy put on a military transport with an escort. Once Fluffy arrives in the United States he will be retired through the Military Adoption Program. Once Fluffy is retired he will be adopted by Sgt. 1st. class Russell Joyce and his family.

The above sequent of events will start following the Memorial Day weekend.

Message from Major Gary M. Kolb, Public Relations, Ft. Bragg

-------Original Message-------

From: Kolb, Gary M. MAJ

Date: Friday, May 16, 2003

To: 'Ronaiello@uswardogs.org'

Subject: Fluffy update

I have also faxed this same letter to you.

Here is the latest information I have regarding SFC Joyce and Fluffy.

The approval process for Fluffy to be transported to the U.S. is beingcompleted by those officials that

have the authority to grant a waiver for Fluffy to travel on military aircraft. We expect that Fluffy will be

reunited with SFC Joyce in the near future. Once we have a confirmed date we will pass that on to everyone

that has shown interest in Fluffy.

SFC Joyce is free to talk about Fluffy and this whole situation. It is never our policy to implement any

kind of gag orders. We ask that everyone understand that sometimes we can't answer all the inquiries

immediately because of the overwhelming volume of calls regarding Fluffy.

SFC Joyce has not done anything wrong and therefore is not in any kind of trouble. He will continue

to serve very honorably in 3rd Special Forces Group.

We are confident that Fluffy will be a welcome addition to SFC Joyce and his family when they are eventually reunited.
We appreciate everyone's concern over Fluffy and ask for everyone's understanding while we complete the approval

process to return Fluffy to SFC Joyce. In the meantime Fluffy is being well taken care of by soldiers and airmen in Iraq.

Sincerely,

MAJ Gary Kolb
Chief, Public Affairs
U.S. Army Special Operations Command

MAJ Gary Kolb
Chief, Public Affairs
US Army Special Operations Command
SCAMPI 239-3383/DSN: 239-3383 STE/COMM: (910) 432-3383
kolbg@usasoc.socom.smil.mil/
.

Mothers Day, May 11, 2003: Ron Aiello

I first learned of Fluffy’s plight on Mothers Day, May 11, 2003 when Russell Joyce phoned me and told me a story about Fluffy in Iraq and how Russell had to leave Fluffy behind.

Russell was concerned for Fluffy’s safety and asked me to help him with trying to get Fluffy to the United States. What I heard in Russell voice was something that I had heard hundreds up hundreds of times from former canine handlers who had served in Vietnam.

I heard the love that Russell had for this canine and I could tell that a bond had formed between the two of them.

I myself like thousands of handlers who served in Vietnam had to leave my canine Stormy behind in Vietnam and I felt I owed it to Stormy to help Fluffy get out of Iraq and to the United States.

I told Russell that I would do what ever I could to help him to get Fluffy to the United States. I had also received an email from Russell which confirmed what we had talked about on the telephone

Email From: SFC Russell Joyce

To whom it may concern:

I'm in 3rd group Special Forces out of Fort Bragg, NC. I have just returned
from Iraq today. While in Iraq, my team requested a dog for operational
purposes. The Kurds brought us a German Shepard breed that had obviously
been abused and neglected by the Iraqi military. I became the handler for
this dog and grew very attached to him. This dog was used in many combat
operations in Northern Iraq and proved to be a wonderful "soldier." It was
my team that took control over the mountain north of Mosul (Maclube
mountain). Anyway, I obtained all of the proper paperwork to have the dog
shipped to the US so that I could adopt it but at the last minute there was
some problem with politics. The dog meets all requirements to be shipped to
the US. I only have 72 hours to find some way to get the dog released for
travel and cut through this red tape or the dog will be destroyed. I have
personally trained this dog for special military use and now the dog does not
like Kurds or Iraqi persons, therefore, they will not be able to handle him.
All I need is some help in getting this animal here to the states, I will
handle all of the expenses that it takes to get him here. I have a copy of
all medical records, vaccinations, and orders for the dog. I can send a copy
of this paperwork to anyone that can help me. I am a prior Ranger and
currently a Special Forces soldier and our motto is "Never leave a fallen
comrade". The military asked for this dog to serve, this dog lived through 2
shootings, mine fields, and all military actions in the North. Now, they are
ready to discard him, I can't let that happen and I'm hoping that he can live
his retirement with me here in the US. Please contact me if you can help or
know of anyone who can. My 72 hours started on May 11 at 12 noon.

Thank you again,
SFC Russell W. Joyce
Fort Bragg, NC

A mission to reunite Fluffy the war dog with his human

By LISA HOFFMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
May 16, 2003
- He's an adopted commando dog with the improbable name of Fluffy, a fast learner who served nobly during combat in northern Iraq.
Now, his best friend is battling to bring the war dog home to the country for which he fought.
"This dog was used in many combat operations in northern Iraq and proved to be a wonderful 'soldier,' " U.S. Sgt. 1st Class Russell Joyce, an Army special forces soldier, wrote in a plea for help with his mission to have Iraq-born Fluffy "live his retirement with me here in the U.S."
Air Force and Army officials are sympathetic, but it is proving neither a quick nor easy thing to approve Joyce's unconventional request. There are strict rules - military, health, customs and others - about bringing animals into the United States, and the fact that Fluffy, in effect, enlisted on the battlefield just complicates matters more.