For the majority of a year, fighter Nick Pierzchalski filled in as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot in Iraq as a component of his administration obligation for the Florida Army National Guard. His job in the war was to transport injured fighters to security which he did decently, sparing numerous lives along the way. However, one life that he spared was somewhat not quite the same as the rest — a lost canine him and his individual troopers unearthed in the Iraq desert while they were making their rounds.
In a meeting with Fox 13 News in Tampa, Pierzchalski explained on the story: “This pooch kept running up to me, kept running up to our gathering, and gotten to know us instantly. It brought great morale to me and the whole group, felt like a piece of home,” the Florida Army National Guard pilot said. “She’d hang out with us. She was constantly with us.”
Pierzchalski built her a kennel in the hangar and named the pup Airys. She would remain with him for the rest of his time in Iraq. When he finished his service in March 2017, Pierzchalski returned to his home in Brooksville, Florida, but Airys unfortunately had to be left behind. The two probably thought they would never get to see each other again, but thanks to the help of SPCA International and Operation Baghdad Pups, that all changed around three months later in June of that year.
The organizations helped arrange for Airys to be transported back to Florida, and when she touched down on the tarmac in Tampa, Pierzchalski was right there waiting. Fox News covered the reunion between the pair, and the video is absolutely heartwarming. As Airys is released from the kennel, she immediately runs over and snuggles up against him, her tail wagging away extremely excitedly. It is obvious in the video that she clearly remembers him.