A Marine who served tours in Afghanistan carried out the final duty to the dog who served that time with him. He would signal to DeYoung whenever he smelled something suspicious, and an explosives technician would then remove or safely detonate the bomb to clear the path for US troops, according to a release obtained by Task & Purpose.
Cena belonged to Lance Cpl. Jeff DeYoung was paired with the dog from 2009 to 2010 while on a combat tour in Afghanistan, and Young adopted Cena upon the dog's retirement.
Cena was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer and DeYoung made the decision to put him down.
"My whole adult life I've had Cena", DeYoung told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday.
"We walked in front of the group that we served with and everything that they faced, we faced first", DeYoung said of his time overseas with Cena. "And now I'm 27 and I'm having to say goodbye to one of the biggest pieces of my life".
With the help of family, friends and even complete strangers, the two experienced one last ride before their goodbye.
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DeYoung later described how he had carried Cena across rivers and thrown his body over him while under heavy fire from the Taliban.
Everyone who took part did so because they realized Cena is a hero. "Every Marine has to go out in a set of dress blues".
He organized the sendoff without realizing so many people from the community would join in. All the support, all the love people are giving him, he can see it and he can feel it, and he's deserved it. Jeff DeYoung carries Cena, a 10-year-old black Lab who was a military service dog, aboard the ship where he was put down on Wednesday. Attendees gave one final three-volley salute. "It's gonna be tough".
A fellow service dog named Rex also showed up to pay his respects.
"This dog, this brother of mine, has sat with me through a divorce, through homelessness, through missed jobs, my PTSD strikes and waking up in my bathtub crying", DeYoung said at a Veterans Day ceremony in 2015.
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