This week a hero passed away.
Cena, a 10-year-old black lab who served three tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marines was put down this week because of cancer.
Cena was a bomb-sniffer for the Marines until he retired in 2014. His owner Lance Cpl. Jeff Young made sure that Cena’s last days were memorable.
Jeff rented a topless Jeep for the day for Cena to drive around in. He also organized a ceremony for Cena before he was put down. It was attended but the U.S. Marine Corps League, Michigan State Police and Muskegon, Michigan local police and fire departments. Cena wore a decorative Marine vest while attendees gave a final three-valley salut with “Taps” playing in the background.
This was a hard day for Jeff. He was paired with the dog in 2009 when he was just 19-years-old. After his service was done he adopted Cena and he became Jeff’s service dog for his PTSD.
Jess said that he carried Cena across rivers, protected him against bullets and kept his body warm during cold desert nights. He also comforted Jeff when seven of his friends died in a mere three weeks.
Cena and Jeff were together for eight years.