🇺🇸🐾 A Final Salute: Community Honors Hero Dog With Tearful Military Farewell
In a moment that left many wiping away tears, hundreds of people gathered in Muskegon, Michigan, to bid farewell to a true American hero — a 10-year-old black Labrador named Cena, who served three tours in Afghanistan as a Marine bomb-sniffing dog.
With a heart full of courage and a body worn down by terminal bone cancer, Cena was given the kind of goodbye every hero deserves. Draped in a flag and surrounded by veterans, law enforcement officers, and grateful citizens, Cena’s final journey took place aboard the historic USS LST 393, a World War II museum ship.
🎖️ A Bond Forged in War
Cena wasn’t just a dog — he was a Marine, a protector, and a source of comfort during the darkest of times. His story began in 2009, when he was paired with Lance Corporal Jeff DeYoung during their deployment to Afghanistan. The two shared not just duties but survival.
“I’ve had Cena my entire adult life,” DeYoung said softly. “He was with me when I was learning how to be a man in a war zone — and now, I’m saying goodbye to the soul that carried me through it all.”
Through bullets and battlefield chaos, Cena was always by DeYoung’s side. He shielded him during Taliban attacks, kept him warm in desert nights, and stood with him through unbearable grief — including the loss of seven fellow Marines in just three weeks.
🚙 One Last Ride, One Last Tribute
DeYoung planned every detail of Cena’s final day with love and honor. He took his best friend on one last Jeep ride — the vehicle marked with “Cancer Response Team” — through cheering crowds who lined the streets in tribute. What started as a simple goodbye turned into a full community celebration of a four-legged warrior’s life.
“I just wanted to borrow a Jeep and give him a fun day,” DeYoung shared. “But people showed up, and kept showing up. Cena deserved every bit of it.”
Representatives from the U.S. Marine Corps League, Michigan State Police, local sheriff and fire departments, and even a fellow K9 officer named Rex gathered for the ceremony. A three-volley salute echoed through the air, followed by the haunting sound of “Taps.” Cena, dressed in a decorated Marine vest, lay peacefully during the tribute.
🙏 A Prayer and a Promise
“Lord, it is with heavy hearts that we are sending another Marine to you today,” said Chaplain Wesley Spyke, offering a prayer that captured the grief and gratitude of the entire crowd.
Cena’s body was gently placed in a flag-draped casket. Though he may be gone, his legacy lives on — not only in military records, but in the heart of every person he touched.
A GoFundMe campaign has since been launched to honor Cena with a proper headstone — a lasting tribute to a dog whose courage saved lives and whose loyalty never wavered.
“Any dog that served overseas,” DeYoung said, “deserves exactly what I did for Cena… if not more.”
🐕🦺💔 Because sometimes the bravest soldiers walk on four legs.