Soldier, Rufus, Target adjust to home life

Sunday, August 08, 2010
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alt — Sgt. Chris Duke is now readjusting to civilian life as a Coweta County firefighter after suffering shrapnel injuries from his service in the Georgia National Guard on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He credits the dogs Rufus, Target, and Sasha with saving the lives of himself and his fellow soldiers.

By JEFF BISHOP jbishop@newnan.com Having dogs mingle with the infantry is something that's not generally encouraged in the U.S. Army, said Sgt. Christopher Duke of Bravo Co., Georgia National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade. "The Army frowns on it," said Duke, who is now back in civilian life, working as a Coweta County firefighter at the new station just north of Corinth.

"I guess they're worried about disease and things like that," he said. But in Afghanistan this past winter, having dogs at the base probably saved the lives of countless soldiers. Rufus and Target have been dubbed "wonder dogs" by the soldiers stationed at Paktika Province. "We'd had the dogs for a couple of months in the compound," before the incident involving a suicide bomber, Duke said. "They were just a couple of random mutts who wandered in," he said. The dogs were good for company morale, he said, so they let them stay. Feeding them was always a challenge, he said. "There were 50 people in the barracks," said Duke. "We didn't have any dog food. We were just getting the rations as they came in, and we were in short supply at times. It's really hard to stay supplied when you're in the field in Afghanistan. In Iraq, that's not a problem." Duke first served in the regular Army in Iraq in 2003 before his stint in the National Guard in Afghanistan years later. "I was actually in Afghanistan for nine months," he said. "When I was on active duty, we would give the National Guard guys a really hard time sometimes. But having served with both now, I can say that serving with the National Guard is harder." Making the transition from "complete civilian to 100 percent soldier" and back again can be a challenge, he said. "When you're in the regular Army, you just go back to your unit, so you're still with the same guys, your buddies," he said. In the National Guard, you don't have your fellow soldiers to fall back on when everyone returns to civilian life. "When you go back to your civilian job, no one really knows what you went through. No one really understands anything about what it's like over there," he said. But Rufus and Target understand, and they're now both back home with Duke, after a long journey. They even received some battle wounds, taking on shrapnel, just like Duke did. The suicide bomber was wearing 25 pounds of C-4 explosive on Feb. 11 when the dogs discovered him sneaking into the barracks. They began to bark, apparently frightening the bomber, who set off the bomb just inside the door of the building. "He was standing in the doorway at a 45-degree angle, judging by the blast," said Duke. A number of soldiers were injured in the explosion, but none of the injuries were life-threatening. One dog, Sasha, lost her life in the explosion. "We had to put Sasha down because of the injuries," said Duke. "But those dogs caused the Taliban to detonate himself early, before he got inside the building." The dogs were celebrated as heroes, and a number of news outlets ran stories about the ordeal. In fact, the dogs are a little exhausted, he said. "A lot has been going on. We've been getting a lot of phone calls," said Duke. "And Rufus has spent the last two or three weeks traveling from Afghanistan to here. He stayed in Pakistan for over a week. I'm letting him rest today. He needs to pull back into something that's more like a stable life for a couple of weeks. "Right now, Rufus is really worn out," he said. "All he does is sleep all day. I don't know if dogs get jet lag or what." Both dogs have transitioned well to life in Georgia, he said, and they have made friends with the three dogs he already owned. But one of the dogs, Target, will be leaving again on Wednesday, to a new home in Arizona. "Target will be flying out" to the home of a fellow soldier, said Duke. "We joked that since the terrain in Arizona is a lot like the terrain in Afghanistan, it will be kind of a cruel joke on Target. When she gets off the plane, she might wonder, 'What kind of a cruel joke are y'all trying to play on me?'" But she's going to a good home, he said. Right now he's focused on getting Rufus accustomed to life in the country. "They say he's a collie mix," said Duke. "I wouldn't have thought he was a collie. It was hard to tell. The dogs all looked awful, to be honest with you." That's why he's glad that there are organizations like Puppy Rescue Mission to help get these and other deserving animals into nice homes permanently, he said. Duke said he's also happy to be back mowing the grass with his local business, Patriot Lawn Care, and sipping coffee on his back porch in the morning, spending time with family and friends. "It's the little things that you miss so much. Things that people tend to take for granted. Like having electricity," he said. "But I'll tell you that we all appreciate the support the community has shown for us. The fire department has shown support, but the community has a whole has also shown support, and I want to thank them for that." Rufus and Target appreciate it, too, he said. "They are fitting in nicely," said Duke. - Clarification on events related to attack on soldiers Following publication Sunday of this story, Sgt. Christopher Duke of Bravo Co., Georgia National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade, wanted to emphasize the contributions of all the soldiers during their time in Afghanistan. Duke wants Times-Herald readers to know what a great job members of his unit did all through the deployment, but especially immediately after the attack by the suicide bomber as they locked down the camp and secured the area from further attack. In all, five individuals were injured in the blast and were medevacked from the area, Duke noted. Duke was among three who were able to return to duty about four days later. He said two soldiers were seriously wounded in the blast — Sgt. First Class Gary Ware and Staff Sgt. Marty Brownlee were flown to Germany and eventually back to the States, he said. Following his deployment, Duke is now back in civilian life working as a Coweta County firefighter.

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Soldier, Rufus, Target adjust to home life

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