This photo, taken on December 8, 1943, in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, shows PFC Homer J. Finley Jr., (U.S. Marine Corps) and his four-legged comrade “Jack”, a Belgian Shepherd of the 1st Marine War Dog Platoon.

Together, Homer and Jack landed on Bougainville and bravely fought against a relentless enemy. During that short period, they always looked after each other, which created a special bond between them, but Homer was then assigned to other duties, and the two Marines were separated.
Jack was later wounded by a Japanese sniper while carrying a vital message but despite his injury, he pursued his mission and delivered the message. At the end of the war, Homer returned to the United States and was stationed at Camp Lejune in North Carolina.

One day, Homer was walking through the camp, when suddenly, he saw Jack. As he approached, another Marine told him: “Well don’t get too close to him because nobody else can, he’s vicious”.

Home replied: “If I know Jack, he won’t bother me one little bit”.
As he opened the gate, the Belgian Shepherd jumped into his arms, put his paws on Homer’s shoulders and licked his face. Looking back on that reunion, the WWII veteran said: “This kind of tears me up when I think about it. The fact that he remembered me close to two years from the last time I had seen him was really something”.

Repost: Time to go home