In a rare, heartwarming event at Lackland AFB, the Marine Corps reunited the family of a fallen South Texan with the military working dog that tried to protect him after he was fatally shot in a firefight in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Jessy Eslick, who works with the dogs, presented Eli, a 4-year-old black Labrador retriever, to the family of Pfc. Colton Rusk during an informal “leashing ceremony” Thursday morning.

“Eli will forever be remembered by the Marine Corps as a dog that brought Marines home to their families,” said Eslick, who asked the family to take good care of the frisky bomb-sniffing canine.

“And most of all, have fun with him,” he added.

A hush fell over the room for about a minute as Rusk's father, Darrell; mother, Kathy; and older and younger brothers, Cody and Brady, stroked and snuggled with Eli, wiping away tears as the dog happily panted and wagged his tail.

They took Eli home Thursday to Orange Grove, near Corpus Christi, where they'll keep him as a pet, along with their three German shepherds.

Kathy Rusk said she felt as if a part of her 20-year-old son, who was shot by the Taliban during a battle Dec. 6 in Helmand province, had been returned to her. He'd always talked about Eli, who refused to sleep on the floor and took up part of his cot, during calls home between missions.

“I know that Colton passed his love on to this dog, and that's why he's so loving,” she said. “He'll just be one of us, part of the family.”

According to accounts from fellow Marines, Eli stayed at Rusk's side during the battle and crawled on top of him to shield him.

The dog arrived Sunday at Lackland, which has one of the world's premier training and care facilities for working dogs, and was deemed by veterinarians to be mentally and physically fit.

Eli is only the third military dog adopted by its handler or handler's family, Lackland officials said.

One was adopted by a wounded airman. The other dog, a German shepherd named Lex, was given to the family of Cpl. Dustin Lee, a Marine from Mississippi who was killed in a 2007 mortar attack in Iraq. Lex was treated for shrapnel wounds.

Darrell Rusk said his son and Eli had found two explosive devices shortly before his son's death, less than three months into his deployment. Colton and his brothers had grown up around Labs, bulldogs and other canine pets, and “had 'em chewing on their diapers since they were little,” he said.

The family members first met Eli at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before Colton deployed on Sept. 23 — his 20th birthday. They were driving around when they spotted the two together.

“Colton jumped right in, and the dog jumped in, too,” Kathy Rusk said.