Vietnam Veteran gives dog to disabled Afghanistan Veteran

Veteran Gives Free Dog to Another Veteran
KCRG.com
By Addison Speck, Reporter
Sep 22, 2012

GARNAVILLO, Iowa - A Northeast Iowa Veteran received a new dog, free of charge, on Saturday. The dog was delivered by another veteran wanting to pay it forward.

Adam Eilers was ready to pay for a hungarian vizsla dog. He knew a man was coming to drop it off early Saturday afternoon. To his surprise, a man named Mark McAvan showed up and told him the dog was his, no money necessary.

"Never in my mind did I expect that, it was a really good surprise," said Eilers.

McAvan is a Vietnam Veteran who lives in Vinton. When he heard Eilers wanted the dog, he did all he could to make it happen.

On Saturday he was up early to make the trip from Vinton to Sigourney to pick up the dog, then made the trek from Sigourney to Garnavillo to deliver it. After nearly six hours he arrived at Eilers house. "It's just my way of saying thank you, these vets have given enough," said McAvan.

Eilers served in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. While he was there a vehicle he was in was hit with an IED. "I had a broken vertebrae, collapsed lung, broken left leg, broken left arm, and they decided to take half of my skull out," said Eilers.
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