Fred The Afghan
Sergeant Craig Grossi arrived in Afghanistan’s Sangin District in 2010. It was nighttime and as soon as the sun came up, his unit came under attack. Speaking to The Dodo, Grossi said, “It was pretty fierce for a couple of days, and I was so preoccupied defending myself.” After the battle finally ceased, Grossi was able to look around and to his amazement he spotted a dog, “with a big goofy head and little legs.” While packs of dogs did roam the area, most were aggressive towards humans. But this little dog seemed different. The military did not want soldiers to approach any of the stray dogs, but Grossi just couldn’t help himself. One day he approached the dirty stray. Grossi said, “He wagged his tail and it blew me away.” The dog was soon happy to accept affection from Grossi. As he turned to leave, he realized he made a new friend. He said, “I feel a little poke at my ankle, I look down, and there he is, following me.” Grossi’s buddy shouted, “Looks like you made a friend,” but Grossiy mistakenly thought he said, ‘Looks like a Fred,'” and that’s the name the good-natured pooch was given in that moment.
