Dustin Jerome Lee (April 7, 1986 – March 21, 2007) was a

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, serving as a dog handler and IED detector with his dog

Lex Lex or LEX may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lex'', a daily featured column in the ''Financial Times'' Games * Lex, the mascot of the word-forming puzzle video game ''Bookworm'' * Lex, the protagonist of the word-forming puzzle video ga ...

. He and Lex were attacked by indirect fire at Company A's

forward operating base A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward Operational level of war, operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may or may not contain an airfi ...

on March 21, 2007. A 73 mm rocket round exploding inside the base delivered a mortal wound to Lee, which also injured Lex.

Early life

Dustin Lee, son of

Mississippi Highway Patrol The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol is the highway patrol and acting state police agency for the U.S. state of Mississippi, and has law enforcement jurisdiction over the majority of the state. The Mississippi Highway Patrol specializes in the ...

trooper Jerome Lee, was born on April 7, 1986, in

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...

. From around five years old, Lee worked with rescue dogs by hiding in woods and allowing them to find him. According to his father, he was so moved by the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

that he signed up for the military before graduating high school. Lee grew up in

Quitman, Mississippi Quitman is a city in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States, along the Chickasawhay River. The population was 2,323 at the 2010 census. Quitman is the county seat of Clarke County. History Quitman was established in 1839 and named as the cou ...

and graduated from Quitman High School in 2004.

Military career and death

Lee finished first in his training class as a dog handler in 2005. Lee was awarded the “Top Dog” distinction for Block One Patrol Dog Handler’s Course with his assigned dog LLeo. LLeo was a puppy program dog that was bred by the Department of Defense and because of Lee’s training later was deployed as a patrol narcotics detector dog for the US military. He was noted by the kennel master, William W. Reynolds, to be "uncanny as a dog handler". Because of his abilities, Lee was once given two dogs to work with at once: an explosives dog and a narcotics dog. He was stationed at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, HQ BN in

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia ...

before his deployment to Iraq. Lee was promoted to the rank of Corporal in July 2006. He attached to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion before the attack, and was serving in 3rd Battalion 14th Marines G Battery, 3rd platoon at the time of his death. On March 21, 2007, Company A's forward operating base was attacked by insurgents with indirect fire. Lee and Lex sustained shrapnel injuries when a 73 mm rocket exploded inside Lee's forward operating base. Cpl. Lee was medevaced from the area to a hospital, where he died shortly thereafter; Lex's injuries were not life-threatening. Lee was scheduled to return home in approximately six weeks.

Aftermath

Dustin Lee was interred at Stonewall Cemetery in

Stonewall, Mississippi Stonewall is a town in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,088 at the 2010 census. History A cotton mill was established here in 1868. The town was named after Confederate Army General Stonewall Jackson. Stonewall's m ...

on March 31, 2007. He was posthumously awarded the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

with Combat Distinguishing Device for Valor and the

Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR, ), is a high precedence United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or sur ...

. Lee's parents, aided by

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Walter Jones (R-NC) and an online petition, successfully asked the Marine Corps to allow Lex to retire early, making him the first fully fit military working dog granted early retirement and adoption by the Department of Defense to his former handler's family. After Lee's death, the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol ...

and

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

passed a

concurrent resolution A concurrent resolution is a resolution (a legislative measure) adopted by both houses of a bicameral legislature that lacks the force of law (is non-binding) and does not require the approval of the chief executive (president). Concurrent resoluti ...

honoring him. On March 19, 2010, Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany renamed its kennel the "Corporal Dustin Jerome Lee Kennel". Lex died on March 25, 2012, as the result of cancer.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Dustin J 1986 births 2007 deaths United States Marines Bomb disposal personnel American military personnel killed in the Iraq War People from Meridian, Mississippi People from Quitman, Mississippi United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War

Early life

Military career and death

Aftermath

See also

References

External links