Reflecting on an Image of a Dog I Found on Reddit

Sometimes when I need cheering up or if I feel tense, I go on Reddit and view the subreddit /r/aww. This subreddit is full of pictures, gifs, or short videos of cute animals or animal doing cute things. If I take ten to fifteen minutes to browse the posts, I feel better. I do this because I don't have any pets and that is because I'm allergic to anything that sheds. I can't come home and to a dog excitedly hopping around to see me after a long day. Or a cat plopping down on my lap begging for attention after a tough day. So this suffices my need for pets at the moment until I can afford a hypoallergenic dog.

With all that being said, I was browsing the subreddit earlier today. I found a black and white picture of a U.S. Marine carrying a puppy in his pocket. The caption read "A U.S. Marine carrying a puppy in his pocket after rescuing during an operation southwest of Da Nang, Vietnam (1968)". It was such a powerful image. Especially when considering the location and year it was taken. It has left me with so many questions. For example, who is the Marine pictured? Where did he find that puppy? What happened to that puppy? What happened to the marine? How old is that Marine? How long was he there for? What did he experience? Did he bring the puppy back with him if he returned stateside? Yet, at the same time, I don't want to know the answer to my questions. I'd rather let my interpretation of the picture be as is and create a story of how that picture came to be.

I think the story the image tells is one of a young Marine who is following orders from his superiors. During which he found a defenseless puppy, became empathetic, and decided to take it with him. I think it's safe to assume he has a dog at home in America and perhaps the puppy is similar to that one. Perhaps that's why he is so comfortable handling the dog and why he's looking at it with a neutral and arguably relaxed expression.

The impact the image left on me is immense. It shows that there is beauty in any place, including in war, if you look for it. Also, I felt connected to it because both myself and the unnamed Marine sought comfort in animals or pets. Albeit, in starkly different ways and circumstances. But it just shows the power animals have on us humans and how they can make us feel better no matter what's going on around us.