A Very Happy Thanksgiving Indeed As US Army Staff Sergeant Reunites With Best Buddy After Years Apart

We here at RedState hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are full in the heart and in the stomach. In my grateful household, we had turkey, pork, stuffing, cranberry, sweet potatoes, and vegetables, I think, but I kind of ignored those. (All right, I ate some string beans, because I’m a good boy.)

I was even allowed into the kitchen long enough to make a browned panko-covered mashed potato casserole with double the cheese and bacon the recipe asked for. It wasn’t FDA-approved, but damn, it was good, if I do say so myself.  

Meanwhile, this holiday week got a lot better for U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Payton May on Monday when he was reunited with his best friend, a Belgian Malinois service dog named Yyacob, who served with May in Iraq.

Despite May’s close bond with the pooch as his handler, the pair were separated when the solider was reassigned to Joint Base San Antonio- Lackland in Texas while Yyacob was sent to Fort Drum Air Force Base in New York.

It took a toll on May:

“It was kinda heartbreaking, to be honest with you. ‘Cause I’ve already built not only that work bond with him, I also built that personal bond,” May recalled. “Having to spend a whole nine months seeing him every single day and then not seeing him … It was really heartbreaking.”

But the story took a different turn recently as the staff sergeant remained unrelenting in his efforts to convince the Army to reunite the dog and the man, and in the end, his prayers were answered:

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: The pair, who served together for nearly two years —including a deployment in Iraq — were separated when Staff Sergeant Payton May was reassigned but with help from @AmericanHumane, he was able to bring ‘Yyacob’ home after his retirement. pic.twitter.com/1iu1cjvNbK

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 27, 2024

The Belgian Malinois is a special breed: 

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May worked hard to bring the two back together:

The sweet reunion is a culmination of years of begging and pleading on May’s part to once again see his best friend.

He and the Yyacob, a beautiful Belgian Malinois, served 9 months during a tour in Iraq as part of the explosion detection team. Together, they scanned vehicles, checked those entering the base for ammunition and maintained the safety of their colleagues.

Like May, the pooch was also negatively affected by the separation and was unable to adjust to new handlers:

Yyacob struggled just as much as his handler — he was unable to trust and bond May’s successors, making it impossible for the military to certify him with a new handler, according to the American Humane.

In the two and a half years since, May admitted he had been “bugging” the military for information on Yyacob and updates on when they would let the pooch retire.

US Army dogs typically retire after a decade in service, but fortunately, Yyacob was relieved of his duties this fall after seven years on the job — which at one point included protecting then-President Donald Trump.

But that’s all a memory now, as the Dynamic Duo are back together and got to enjoy Thanksgiving together. I’m happy for them both.

Good dog:

Retired military working dog, Yyacob, was reunited with his former United States Army Staff Sgt. and handler, Payton May. Yyacob and May served together for 9 months in Iraq.

With the help of @AmericanHumane, May and Yyacob are reunited and will spend this Thanksgiving together. pic.twitter.com/tnrq8ID3PR

— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) November 28, 2024