“It was kind of weird,”

Army Specialist Vance McFarland shared as he recounts that morning he woke up and saw quite a number of messages from people asking him about his K9 partner from years ago.

In January 2012, Vance was deployed in Afghanistan with a Czech Shepherd named Ikar. Together, they found roadside bombs and IEDs which, in the years prior, resulted in a number of casualties that alarmed our government.

In fact, because of these tragic losses, the Department of Defense developed TEDD or the Tactical Explosive Detection Dog program- which Ikar was part of.

Vance smiles as he shares what it was like to have Ikar with him in the midst of all the conflict and struggle in Afghanistan.

He says, “having a dog with you on deployment is almost like having a little bit of home, you know.”

He laughs as he remembers how the other soldiers were jealous and always coming up to pet Ikar.

Vance is filled with even more emotion when he talks about what happened when they returned.

He recalls with a hint of sadness how, after stepping off the plane in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he only had Ikar long enough to have a picture taken with him before they took him away.

This was their photo together way back then.

Ikar was put through the TEDD program once again and deployed back to Afghanistan.

When he arrived home the second time around, a private company offered to put him to work.

They said that he’d be kept in a kennel for just 4 to 5 weeks, but- nothing happened for 17 months.

The kennel owner was left to his own resources to care for Ikar and the other dogs he had.

This was when Mission K9 Rescue and the US War Dogs Association stepped in to get Ikar and 10 other dogs back.

Their goal was to reunite these dogs with the soldiers they helped protect.

And, for Ikar and Vance- they did exactly that.

After 3 years, they were able to get in touch with Vance through Facebook.

While this weirded him out a bit, he was grateful to have heard about what happened to his partner and happy to have gotten the chance to officially adopt him and take him back home.

“Hope he remembers me,”

was what he said longingly as he waited in the airport for his friend.

As Ikar rounded the corner, Vance called out his name and he came sprinting to him.

The dynamic duo met in a long embrace and both were so clearly filled with joy.

Vance whispered such loving words as he pet Ikar all over:

“I love you.”

“I’m so excited that you’re home.”

And, he’s now looking forward to spoiling the newest member of his family with the retirement he deserves.

It’s incredible how something so beautiful can happen when we least expect it.

Like with what Vance experienced, a random message may just pop up in your Facebook Messenger and reconnect you with a long lost friend.

Keep your lines open! :)

Watch the beautiful reunion below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: USA Today