Corporal Megan Leavey is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served as a Military Police K9 handler. Leavey enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 2003 and completed recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina. Afterwards, she attended and completed the Military Police school in San Antonio, Texas where she joined the K-9 program and was paired with a military working dog named "Rex" (E168) in October 2004. The pair served two deployments in Iraq together, first to Fallujah in May 2005, and then to Ramadi in May 2006, where she and Rex were both wounded the following September by an improvised explosive device (IED) while she and her dog were leading a U.S. Army patrol down a street. Leavey was awarded the Purple Heart.
Leavey first sought to adopt Rex before she was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in December 2007 with the rank of corporal. Four years later, when Rex developed facial palsy that ended his bomb-sniffing duties, Leavey again petitioned the Marine Corps for his adoption. In April 2012, "Sergeant Rex" was retired by the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton's K-9 unit and Leavey and the dog were reunited through the intervention and support of Senator Chuck Schumer, Randy Levine (and his wife Mindy), president of the NY Yankees baseball club, and others. While living with Leavey, Rex died of old age on December 22, 2012.
Welcome to the Stamford Rail, er, Dog Trail! Enjoy exploring this lovely trail and discover a cache series dedicated to the loyal, long-snouted domesticated mammal so central to mankind's history, sport, legend and friendship.
The cache series is winter friendly and can be done on foot or bike, and yes, dogs are welcome. Park in Stamford and start your journey southward.