Dustin J. Lee

Dustin Jerome Lee (April 7, 1986 – March 21, 2007) was a corporal in the United States Marine Corps, serving as a dog handler and IED detector with his dog Lex. He and Lex were attacked by indirect fire at Company A's forward operating base on March 21, 2007. A 73 mm rocket round exploding delivered a mortal wound to Lee, which also injured Lex.

Early life Dustin Lee, son of Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper Jerome Lee, was born on April 7, 1986, in Meridian, Mississippi. From around five years old, Lee worked with rescue dogs by hiding in woods and allowing them to find him. According to his father, he was so moved by the September 11 attacks that he signed up for the military before graduating high school. Lee grew up in Quitman, Mississippi, and graduated from Quitman High School in 2004. Cpl. Lee was medevaced from the area to a hospital, where he died shortly thereafter; Lex's injuries were not life-threatening. Lee was scheduled to return home in approximately six weeks.

Aftermath Dustin Lee was interred at Stonewall Cemetery in Stonewall, Mississippi on March 31, 2007. On March 19, 2010, Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany renamed its kennel the "Corporal Dustin Jerome Lee Kennel".

Lex died on March 25, 2012, as the result of cancer.