because of a military dog in his unit who was the first to spot the taliban fighter and the first to come under fire. >> i watched his body language. as it changed, i knew we were getting close to something. and then before i realized what was there, he took a couple rounds to the head. with an ak-47 at six inches. >> he was killed and jimmy nearly lost his leg. he was so badly wounded he had to retire from the navy. that didn't mean that jimmy hatch retired from serving. he found a new mission by founding spike's k9 fund, a charity name for the first dog he handled in the military spike who was killed on a mission in iraq in 2006. >> for me as a person who handled the dog, it was my duty i felt to make sure that he was protected. when the dog gets hurt or killed, you failed.