Everyone loves a feelgood dog story so when you pick up a copy of ‘Fred & Craig; ’ A Marine, A Stray Dog, and How They Rescued Each Other” it will not disappoint.

Sergeant Craig Grossi was an intelligence collector doing work for Marine RECON, an elite tactical group in a remote area of Afghanistan, when he came across a dog he described as having a” big goofy head and small legs.”

It was an instant connection between the man who had always wanted a dog growing up and this stray out in the middle of a warzone scrapping for food.It wasn’t only Craigs’ heart that Fred won over. The whole unit got use to having this dog around and pretty soon he was going on night missions and sleeping in sleeping on their mats.

When it was time to leave the field and go back to the heavily fortified base of Camp Leatherneck, where Fred’s life and Grossi’s career would be in jeopardy had they gotten caught they did the unthinkable and took the dog with them.

Grossi writes the book jumping from present time during a road trip he took across the nation with Fred and a friend to the past reflecting on his time during the service and through his journey of smuggling Fred back to Virginia where his family was waiting. He gives readers mini cliffhangers at the end of each chapter that makes it hard to put this book down.

It’s a heartwarming story that you can continue to enjoy through many as the pair still travels around the country to spred the message of “stubborn positivity” that Fred once taught Grossi out in the middle of a battlefield.

Also availble in a kid friendley version this book is not only a great read, it also opens the eyes for those of us who haven’t served.