Wyrsch had previously served in the United States Armed Forces, but for this job, he was there as a volunteer. It was an extremely difficult and high-stress job. Thankfully, there was someone in the camp who helped Wyrsch destress: a stray dog named Ollie. Wyrsch and his fellow soldiers all fell in love with Ollie. The cute dog was only a puppy when Wyrsch met him, and he was as joyful and happy as could be.
The soldiers all raised Ollie together, and he became the camp’s mascot. “He was like a morale booster. He was there when we left our missions, he was there when we got back,” Wyrsch told CBS SF. The SPCA and Wyrsch started collecting donations—they needed thousands of dollars to get Ollie from Iraq to San Francisco. The story touched many peoples’ hearts, and they were able to raise the money they needed. Soon, Ollie was out of Iraq and on his way to San Francisco, where Wyrsch was waiting for him. About a month after Wyrsch left Iraq, Ollie arrived in America. Wyrsch met him at the airport. When Ollie saw Wyrsch, he immediately jumped on his friend and started licking his face. He was so happy to see him!
