UPDATE: Marines WILL Have Kabul Puppy Home In Time for Military Ball

According to Sgt. John Staffen, there was a member of the Lone Star Battalion that was left behind in Afghanistan when the Battalion made it home on Saturday – a litte dog that they had hand reared since it was 9 days old. Originally they just wanted to give the puppy a fighting chance at life after the rest of its litter mates died but then days turned into weeks and weeks into months and the little dog found at an Afghanistan gas station sat on 24 hour watch with the Marines. They named the little dog Bill and the entire Battalion become completely attached. They knew they would eventually be leaving Kabul to go back home to their families and were not sure what would happen to the puppy.

“I’m not gonna play the part of the tough guy here. I might be a Marine, but you see a cute little puppy you get attached to him and everybody did, and we all played a part,” said Staffen.

It was CBS News Correspondent Lara Logan who helped get the dog to a shelter in Kabul when the Lone Star Battalion shipped out for home so the Marines would know the dog would be cared for and hopefully found a good home. But the Marines wanted to keep in touch with Bill as he grew up and so the campaign called “Get Bill to the Ball”  was launched. The Ball is the Marine Corps Ball next month in Houston and in order to get Bill to the US they are trying to raise $3,500 so  Bill can come to his new home. Sgt. Staffen in Liberty County, northeast of Houston has agreed to be Bill’s owner and make him a part of his family.

Sgt. Staffen says, “We found him. We raised him and it just seemed like we’d be abandoning him if we left him there.”

Staffen says Bill gave his fellow hard core marines moments of celebration… the first time he opened his eyes, and the day he took his first steps.

You can read Bill’s story and learn how to help reunite Bill with the Marines by visiting