Cpl Dustin Jerome Lee

This is not a memorial reference to Cpl Lee and his K9 Lex, but will only reference new articles and the current situation of Military Working Dog Adoption Policies

Cpl Dustin Lee joined the Marine Corps in 2005 to become a Military Police Working Dog Handler.
Cpl Lee's first duty station was at Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, GA. There he worked with both narcotics and explosives canines. Dustin's partner in training became a 7 year old German Shepherd named Lex. Dustin and Lex would train hard in the coming months for their duties. Dustin was an extremelly competent Dog Handler and trained many hours with his partner. Dustin volunteered for deployment for Iraq in November 2007. This would be Lex's third tour in Iraq, Dustin's first. Lex would have been retired from active duty after this third tour

On March 21, 2007 while serving with the 3/14 G Battery, 3rd platoon in Falluja, he was killed Dustin was 20 years old at the time of the incident, only days shy of his 21st birthday. An incoming insurgent RPG in the hit a building that Cpl Lee and his partner Lex was next too. Cpl Lee died in route while be medevaced out of danger. His partner Lex survived.

Lex sustained massive damage but they where not life threatening. He took shrpnel to his body, head and neck from the RPG explosion and nearly lost his tail. There is still shrapnel lodged near Lex's spine that veterinarians decided to leacve as to not cause further damage to his spine. Lex recovered from his wounds and is currently back at MCLB Albany, Ga and is classified still as "working". The Marine Corps has told Cpl Lee's family that there would be no problems with them adopting Lex. Since the day they buried their son they have been trying to adopt Lex, but have hit brickwalls with the Marine Corps.

The family is currently trying to adopt Lex so that they may take care of him. of MS, Congressman Jones of North Caroina, and Vietnam Veteran War Dog Handler and author John Burnam, and current Executive Director the National Working Dog Memorial in Washington DC are currenlty pushing for the retirement of Lex so that the Lee family may adopt him.

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