Not all Marines can say “Sir, Yes sir!” or “Semper Fi.” But they too serve, witness the story of Lucca, a brave and loyal Marine dog trained to search out roadside bombs.

Home and retired for four years, Lucca has been awarded the Dickin Medal by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, a British charity. 

The group calls the honor the equivalent of the Victoria Cross. Whatever it’s equivalent to, it’s deserved. The final bomb of many that Lucca found in protecting human Marines in Afghanistan ignited and cost her her left front leg (though looking at the film of her playing now in the preceding link, this does not seem to have slowed her down much).

Lucca gets high praise from the Marines she served with, including Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Willingham, with whom Lucca now lives near Camp Pendleton in California. Willingham says he sees it as his mission to spoil Lucca in her retirement.

Exactly so. Thank you for your service Sergeant, and for yours, Lucca.

This story does, however, raise a couple of questions. First, how come it was the Brits who honored the estimable Lucca rather than the USMC? And, perhaps more importantly from Lucca’s viewpoint, did a medium rare steak come along with the medal?