Megan Leavy

Corporal Megan Leavy, United States Marine Corps

Megan Leavey enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 2003 and completed recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina.

She attended and completed the Military Police school in San Antonio, Texas where she joined the K-9 program and was paired with a German Shepherd military working dog named “Rex” (E168) in October 2004.

Megan Leavey was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, assigned as a military police dog handler with the 2nd Military Police Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD).

(Oh yes, I know Camp Pen very well. That is where I completed weapons training and SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) training before deploying to Vietnam as a naval advisor in the U.S. Naval Advisory Group, Vietnam, in November 1969.)

Megan Leavy and Rex served two deployments together in Iraq, first to Fallujah in May 2005, and then to Ramadi in May 2006.

Megan and Rex were both wounded the following September by an improvised explosive device (IED) while she and Rex were leading a U.S. Army patrol down a street.

For her military service, Megan Leavey was awarded the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with “V” device and one 5/16″ gold star, Navy and Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with one 3/16″ bronze star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with one 3/16″ bronze star, Marine Corps Rifle Marksmanship Badge, Marine Corps Pistol Marksmanship Badge.

Although Rex was constantly in harm’s way during multiple firefights, mortar attacks and searches for improvised explosive devices during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Rex was not awarded anything at all.

Corporal Megan Leavey first sought to adopt Rex before she was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in December 2007.

As it turns out, four years later, Rex developed facial palsy that ended his bomb-sniffing duties. In April 2012, “Sergeant Rex” was retired from the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton’s K-9 unit.

Once again, Megan Leavey petitioned the Marine Corps for Rex’s adoption, and she and Rex, who had saved her life many times in Iraq, were reunited back home in the USA.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the president of the New York Yankees baseball club, Randy Levine and his wife Mindy, and others, had advocated for Megan and supported her request.

Megan Leavey and Rex were honored during a pregame ceremony at Yankee Stadium on May 13, 2012.

Rex died of old age in December 2012. He was a well loved member of Megan Leavy’s family.

Megan Leavey received Rockland County, New York’s first annual “Freedom Award” on March 19, 2013.

Megan and Rex became the subjects of the 2017 biographical film entitled Megan Leavey. Kate Mara portrayed Megan Leavey, who had a cameo appearance as “Female Drill Instructor #3” in the film.

A new dog park “Clarkstown K-9 Corrals” was dedicated to Megan Leavey and Rex (and the Clarkstown Police K-9’s) at Congers Lake Memorial Park in Congers, New York, on September 21, 2018.

In 2019, Megan Leavy was presented with the Genesis Legacy Medal, awarded to her and to one other person by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.