NATIONAL BRIEFING / MINNESOTA
Army Spc. Gwen Beberg has been reunited with Ratchet, the puppy she bonded with after saving him from a burning trash pile in Iraq.
Beberg, who was stationed in Kentucky for a time after leaving Iraq, returned to her Minneapolis home. Her parents had been caring for the dog since October, when an animal rescue group arranged his trip to Minnesota.
She and another soldier rescued the puppy in May, when he was 4 weeks old.
The soldier calls Ratchet her “fuzzy little love” who always lifts her spirits.
The U.S. military initially blocked the dog from leaving Iraq because it said American troops could not be responsible for its transportation. The dog was put onto a charter flight instead.
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