A US soldier arrives in Iraq.
There he meets his great love: stray Ollie.
When he's being pulled off, he's determined to get him.
Going into a foreign country as a soldier is certainly not easy.
After all, you not only leave your familiar surroundings, leave your loved ones, but often also have a difficult and nerve-wracking mission ahead of you.
Ken Wyrsch can tell you a thing or two about that.
The soldier went to Iraq with his troops in 2016.
There he is stationed at a US Army base.
Soldier falls in love with stray puppy - touching reunion ensues
Then, out of the blue, a stray dog runs up to him: Puppy Ollie.
It doesn't take long for Ken and Ollie to be inseparable.
The story may have been six years ago, but it's still floating around the web.
The soldier and dog become friends, and the pup begins to faithfully wait for Ken when he's away on a mission.
He is said to have enthusiastically wagged his tail every time he saw the soldier again.
The other soldiers also fall in love with the stray and he soon becomes a permanent member of the squad.
"He was there when we left our missions and he was there when we came back," Ken told
CBS SF
.
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Stray Ollie becomes US soldier Ken's best friend in Iraq.
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© StockTrek Images/Imago
Ollie grows dear to the Soldiers, bringing some joy and hope to Ken and the others during these trying times.
Finally, the soldier and Ollie spend every free minute together until it comes to a painful goodbye.
The force is withdrawn from Iraq and scheduled to return to the United States.
But Ken doesn't want to lose his best friend and can no longer be without him.
Soldier falls in love with stray puppy - he doesn't want to be without him anymore
He also doesn't want to leave Ollie behind because the trusting and gentle dog would then have to end up back on the street.
The American, who comes from the San Francisco area, can't bring himself to do it and decides to bring him over.
"He is my friend.
I'm not leaving him behind," Ken continues.
He turns to the US animal welfare organization SPCA International and asks for help to fly Ollie to California.
With success.
Understand dog language: This is how your four-legged friend shows that he loves you
Understand dog language: This is how your four-legged friend shows that he loves you
Due to numerous generous donations, the ex-soldier can finally take his four-legged friend in his arms some time later.
The reunion is very emotional, Ollie is visibly happy to see Ken again.
He jumps up on him and the two "hug" each other.
The ex-soldier is visibly touched and finally seems to be unable to believe his luck.
Rubric list image: © StockTrek Images/Imago
