Loved Ones Meet Fallen Soldier's Dog

DULLES, Va. (WUSA) -- A fallen soldier's five-month-old dog arrived on American soil Monday afternoon, allowing mourning loved ones to see the puppy princess that kept Major Steven Hutchison so happy in Iraq.

The oldest soldier to be killed during the war in Iraq, Hutchison, age 60, died from injuries sustained by a roadside bomb on May 10. The incident happened on Mother's Day, as well as the soldier's nephew's birthday. It's been a brutal two weeks for family members since they learned of his death.

"From my understanding, he may have been targeted by the insurgents," explains his brother, Richard Hutchison. "His whole team's mission was to secure the border of Iraq and Iran. They were making a lot of changes in the way they do things and apparently it didn't sit well with the insurgents."

The news comes as a bittersweet blow to loved ones who knew his goal was to make a difference.

"I was glad he was over there making that big of a difference that they would want to take him out," says Richard. "At the same time, I lost my brother so it makes no big of a difference why."

The Vietnam Veteran and Army Major left behind a piece of himself in his dog, Laia. The soldier's team found her at the young age of six weeks old. She had a broken back hind leg, which they casted. Hutchison decided to name her in honor of Princess Leia from "Star Wars," his favorite movie. From that moment forward, she had him wrapped around her paw.

"I probably shipped over $300 worth of supplies to him for the dog... dog food, collars, leashs, bowls, deworming medication, all kinds of stuff," says Richard, who flew in from Phoenix, Ariz., along with his wife, Steven's sister-in-law, Nancy to meet the dog.

"He lived for that dog," says Nancy. "He loved her."

Laia was able to make the safe trip home after a close friend of the fallen soldier's contacted organizers of the SPCA Internationals Operation Baghdad Pups program. It's designed to proved veterinary care, clearance and transports out of the war zone for soldiers companion animals.

Laia will now live in Michigan with a contracting friend who Hutchison knew in Iraq. His family in Arizona plans to visit the dog whenever they can.

"I got an email from one of the soldiers that says when the dog was around my brother was a different person," says Richard. "He always had a smile on his face. He was always happy. He lost his wife three and a half years ago and my brother was struggling with that."