Our Military Diva of the Week is former Marine Cpl. MEGAN LEAVEY, a Marine Corps dog handler whose relationship with her dog SGT Rex, is highlighted in the film, “Megan Leavey”.
Megan Leavey enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2003 and was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, where she was paired with military working dog Rex (E168). The pair served two deployments in Iraq together where they went on more than 100 missions between 2005 and 2006.
They were first deployed to Fallujah in 2005, and then to Ramadi in 2006, where they both were wounded by an IED. Cpl. Leavey was awarded the Purple Heart and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (NAM) with a “V” device for heroism in combat.
Soon after leaving the Marine Corps, Megan looked to adopt Rex, but ran into some roadblocks. The Corps deemed Rex to be too aggressive for adoption, in particular after Rex developed facial palsy that ended his bomb-sniffing duties. She decided to launch a campaign to help her get Rex back, gathering close to 22,000 signatures in her petition. After some help from New York Senator Chuck Schumer and the New York Yankees, Megan and Rex were finally reunited in April 2012. Megan and Rex’s bond and the journey she went on to be reunited with her best friend is chronicled in the biopic movie, ‘Megan Leavey’, starring Kate Mara in the titular role. This film is playing in select theaters now.
