Reunions among soldiers who once served together are a long-standing tradition but a few of the men who served in Afghanistan with the National Guard recently enjoyed an unusual reunion.

While stationed in the Middle Eastern country, the adopted a 65-pound, mixed breed stray dog. They were reunited with her and her 7 frolicking puppies on Wednesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport shortly after the animals arrived.

A Long Island pet rescue organization made the reunion possible. Their motto is “Paws of War — No Buddy Left Behind.”

1st Lt. Joseph LaPenta of Staten Island said the dogs had become like members of their family. The mother dog, whom the men had named Sheba, was adopted by the group after they arrived in Afghanistan in January. She often accompanied them on patrol and chased off other stray dogs that could have posed a threat to her pack of men.

In March, Sheba gave birth to her puppies> she and the puppies were in a weakened state of health and the men saw to their needs, nursing them all back to health. This was accomplished in part by the beef jerky and MREs the guys shared with the dogs. Later, as word of their need spread back home, the men’s’ families sent bags of dog food.

As part of the U.S.’s plans to reduce their presence in Afghanistan, the men learned their base was to be closed. LaPenta said they were all heartbroken at having to leave them behind. Staff Sgt. Edwin Caba of Long Beach decided to do something about it. He contacted a former high school teacher who put him in touch with the Long Island-based Guardians of Rescue. The organization has been collecting donations for a number of years to assist with bringing dogs back from combat areas. Roughly 20 dogs had already been rescued when the request to help Sheba and her pups was received. They worked with a Kabul-based organization called Nowzad to get the dogs shipped to the U.S. where the soldiers were waiting to adopt them.

The cost of transporting a dog out of a war zone and back to the U.S. is roughly $4,000 each. It includes a 30-day quarantine period prior to shipment, vaccinations, food and the transportation.

The soldiers met with the dogs at a Save-a-Pet animal shelter on Long Island. The puppies are already 6 months old and have been given the names of Cadence, Rocky, Sarah, Jack, Buckeye, Breezy and Harris. Two of the soldiers are taking 2 dogs each and the 3 others will take one each. All but 2 will be staying in the New York area. The other 2 will be moving to the Cincinnati area.

Caba was grateful for the diversion created by the dogs. He lost his home in Superstorm Sandy and has just completed his third tour in Afghanistan.

As for Sheba, her situation is still being assessed. There is hope she can one day be trained as a service dog to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

How it all started: Savannah and Wilson are best friends. Last year, Wilson told Savannah her dad was being deployed to Afghanistan. Savannah was shocked – she put herself in Wilson’s shoes and couldn’t picture the thought of her own parents going away that long. “That would just crush me”, she said.

Moved by that, Savannah wrote a song for her friend. (Aww, sweet)

Next, Savannah put her head together with her friend - the intention was to do something to help the men and women like Wilson’s dad who were being sent out to Afghanistan. What came out of that was ‘Savannah’s Soldiers’, a campaign in which kids write and send letters to the troops over there.

It sounds like the aim is/was to send 700 letters as Savannah’s mum mentions that figure in the video.

When the campaign first started, Savannah would invite children over to write and they’d pen 30 to 40 letters a week. Word’s been spreading as she also goes to schools to speak and to Miami Marlins (baseball) games to raise awareness of her campaign.

It’s since grown to thousands of letters!

And the servicemen and women out there appreciate it. Some have taken pictures of the letters they’ve received and posted it on Savannah’s Facebook wall.

She’s hoping more kids will join the campaign, across more states.

It’s amazing what she’s doing – especially for someone so young.

Iraq war veterans Jeremy Staat and Wesley Barrientos are compelled to draw attention to the rising number of suicides among U. S. veterans and those who served during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. To draw attention to the problem, the pair is planning a cross-country bike ride.

The number of suicides among military personnel and veterans averages about one every 80 minutes according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. That means 6,500 hundred die by their own hand annually, a number that surpasses the combined death toll of U. S. military personnel from both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Staat wanted to do something but struggled to find the right means to draw attention to the problem. Barrientos, a double amputee whose legs were lost in a roadside bomb incident in 2007 in Iraq and Staat came up with the idea to ride bikes across country. They will be joined by Dale Porter.

The plan, called the “Wall to Wall Cross Country Bicycle Ride,” began on Sunday, February 19^th, at the Wall of Valor in Bakersfield. The route, if travelled directly, covers 2,300 miles and finishes at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It will pass through 71 cities with planned stops at 10 military bases. In keeping with the purpose of their effort, the pair plans to make numerous stops at churches, schools, Veteran posts and Memorials and other events and engagements where they can spread their message. The added stops will stretch the journey to 4,163 miles. The men expect to reach The Wall on Memorial Day in late May, making the trip last 100 days.

Barrientos, 27, will wear an 8-pound Kevlar helmet as a way of paying respect to the fallen soldiers from his unit. He will use a specially designed bicycle he can power by hand crank.

Porter, 65, a Viet Nam veteran, is making the trip with the others to encourage others. His own homecoming experiences after the war were painful and he hopes to help put a sparkle back in the eyes of his fellow veterans.

Staat, 35, is a retired NFL player, U. S. Marine veteran of the war in Iraq and founder of the Jeremy Staat Foundation which is sponsoring the bike ride. The Bakersfield resident feels that veterans deserve not only our gratitude but the respect and help they need when they return home.