The passing of MWD Lex03/25/2012
Phoenix, AZ It is with great sadness to report that retired Military Working Dog Lex passed away on March 25, 2012 at approx 2:02 PM CST. Lex spent two tours in Iraq. On his second tour he was paired with Marine Corporal Dustin Lee of Quitman, MS. On March 21, 2007, Al Quaeda terrorists fired an RPG round that, when it detonated, mortally wounded Dustin and seriously wounded Lex. Still, Lex covered Dustin with his own body and medics had to drag Lex off to get to Dustin. Lex was able to attend Dustin's memorial service and it was there the Lee family began inquiries on adopting Lex. It took 7 months and the intervention of key individuals but in December, 2007, The Marines retired Lex and turned him over to the Lee's in a nationally televised ceremony. They were first family to adopt their son's dog. In November, 2008, the family and Lex participated in the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade. While here, Lex visited the State Veterans Home, the VA hospital and participated in several TV interviews. In the parade, they were escorted by canine teams from Department of Public Safety, Luke AFB, and Phoenix Police Department. The Director of Public Safety walked the route to support Mr. Lee, a member of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. That morning, Lex was probably the most photographed canine in the world. Lex went on to be a therapy qualified canine, visiting Veterans Homes, schools, hospitals and attended numerous Veterans events. He became an ambassador. If you have Facebook, go to "Angels for Lex" to express any condolences. |