He Never Forgot The Dog He Met On Deployment, 6 Years Later He Brought Him Home
When Senior Airman Alex Jones was stationed in Korea in 2020, he met a military working dog named Max who captured his heart from the moment they crossed paths, and though the two never worked together on missions, Jones spent every day of his deployment finding excuses to be near him. They played together, spent time together, and built the kind of bond that Jones said he carried home with him long after he returned to the United States, quietly hoping for the day Max would retire from military service so he could give him a forever home. That day came this spring, and on Friday, Jones drove to Sneads Ferry, North Carolina, for a ceremony hosted by the nonprofit Paws of War, where he and Max were reunited for the first time in six years. The moment was exactly what six years of hoping had been building toward.
At the ceremony, Paws of War presented Max with its Hero with a Heart award in recognition of his years of dedicated military service, and Jones stood beside him as both the award was given and Max's leash changed hands for the last time. Jones said before the reunion that you always remember the good dogs, and that Max was one of those dogs you simply never forget, a dog who taught him things and had a presence that stayed with him all these years. He said he was honored and deeply happy that Max would now spend his retirement years living with him, and that he looked forward to giving him the relaxing and rewarding life he had earned. Paws of War, a nonprofit that supports veterans and active-duty military members in a variety of ways including helping reunite service members with military animals, helped coordinate the adoption and make the moment possible. Max, decorated and retired, is home.
