Heartwarming

This Cat Saves A Soldier From Suicide And Then Is Saved Himself

By
Andrea A.

Joshua Marino, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joined the United States army in 2001. In 2007, he was deployed to the front in Iraq, near Baghdad.Only three months after his arrival, the young man was hurt in a violent explosion, which left him with a traumatic brain injury, internal damage to the nerve tissue of the brain. Joshua didn't immediately return home. Without any external injuries, the young man was considered fit for service, and didn't return to the United States until 2008, to Fort Riley, a military base in the state of Kansas.

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Source: Mutual Rescue

It was then that Joshua started suffering from concentration issues and memory loss. He also confided that he had the sentiment that his comrades couldn't understand what he was going through, a particularly frustrating reality. He admitted:

I thought I was damaged goods.

Joshua started to think the worst, and wrote out a letter on the computer explaining his suicide. He then went to smoke his last cigarette, when a figure grabbed his attention.

I saw this little cat under the bushes. I thought, ‘Someone did care.’ Something with a warm heart and soft fur came up to lend a hand, and it really did help.

Joshua deleted the letter from his computer. Every day, the feline, who he named Scout, came back to receive a tin of tuna that his new friend offered him.

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Source: Mutual Rescue

Sadly, animal control intervened to find all of the fort's stray cats. A difficult blow for Joshua. Meanwhile, the young man had already taken back his life, and had even got back in touch with a childhood friend, Becky, who would go on to become his wife. For Joshua, without Scout, none of it would have been possible.

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Source: Mutual Rescue

Even better, fate would allow a reunion between the feline and his human friend. While Joshua and Becky were wandering the fort and saw an adoption fair, a little black paw reached for them, and the former soldier immediately recognized Scout. So he immediately told the volunteers:

I want to adopt this cat right now.
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Source: Mutual Rescue

Joshua and Becky brought Scout with them to Pittsburg, where the love him and spoil him.But in August 2011, the feline was diagnosed with Leukemia, and veterinarians gave him a couple weeks to live. Joshua didn't want to say goodbye to his beloved cat, and chose to make the end of Scout's life the best it could be.

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Source: Mutual Rescue

Up until the day where, sadly, they had no other choice but to say goodbye. Joshua explained:

I’m going to remember him. That’s honoring his legacy. He was my buddy and my best friend.  

After Scout's death, Joshua continued to work with other veterans, helping them re-adapt to civilian life. His wife introduced him to the organization, Mutual Rescue. The goal of this association is to show the benefits that animals can have on humans. Becky advised Joshua to send his story in. A few weeks later, Mutual Rescue made a short film on the story of Scout and Joshua. The young man hopes that his experience will convince other veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to seek help.

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Source: Mutual Rescue

Joshua concluded:

Sometimes your pets are the ones who teach you about your own humanity. They teach you about who you are.

Watch the moving video below for Scout and Joshua's full story:[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PamDE6IVQ0A[/embed]

H/t: 11 Alive

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