During his tour of duty in Iraq, Kopelman endured the emotional stress common for those involved in bloody battles for freedom. Skirting the rules forbidding pets, he and his comrades adopted an abandoned puppy left behind after the battle for Fallujah. The dog, Lava, befriended the Marines and journalists and was eventually smuggled out of Iraq by the soldiers with the help of NPR reporters, John vanZante and the Helen Woodward Animal Center, Iraq citizens, and the Iams pet food company. 2006.
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