From Baghdad, with Love Character Change

     William Goldberg 813

     The book "From Baghdad, with Love" by Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman with Melinda Roth follows the story of a member of the Lava Dogs marine squad who finds a stray puppy in an     abandoned and decides to keep it as a "mascot" for the squad. As the story progresses, Kopelman and the Lava Dogs become infatuated with this lovable new furry friend. The squad finds itself taking care of the tiny beast.  Eventually, Kopelman decides to get Lava (the name of the puppy) out of the country and into the U.S. While going through this entire journey, Kopelman experiences a change in personality that only someone who found a new love (in this case a dog) could possibly hope to acquire. I believe this change in personality turned Kopelman from a serious and dangerous marine into a soft and caring man.
      In the beginning of the book, it is easy to view Kopelman as nothing but a hard-working robot fighting for his life in Fallujah. This is shown by the fact that during the entire first five pages of the book all Kopelman can think about is war and how he might be killed. This shows that at this point he thinks and breathes warfare. It is also shown that he is extremely cautious and jumps to the most dangerous assumption that he could make. For example, when he hears a clicking in the deserted building, he automatically thinks it's a frag grenade. This depicts a clear picture of a war-hardened marine who has fought a fair number of fights. All of this points to the fact that Kopelman was a stern Lava Dog at the beginning of the novel.
     During the middle of the book, it is shown that Kopelman is changing from his former self. As the book develops he becomes more attached to the group's new little friend. He spends more time with Lava then he ever did and really starts to care for him. He decides to let Lava sleep with him and in his boots. In fact, he stays calm even when Lava rips up and destroys numerous things inside their bunkers. This shows that the connection between Lava and Kopelman has strenghtened and that Kopelman is letting go of his past ways.
     At and near the end of the book, Kopelman practically falls in love with Lava and risks everything in order to get him into the U.S. Kopelman is constantly contacting anyone he knows who can help him save Lava from the military. Because of a list of codes all marines must follow, Kopelman isn't  allowed to keep any pets, and because of that code, Kopelman is forced to have to sneak Lava into the U.S. Kopelman even "...cries for the second time in his adult life...". He cries over the stress of trying to safely into the country. This all shows that Kopelman is now willing to give up everything for his canine best friend. He has now become caring and sensitive.
     In conclusion, in the beginning of the book "From Baghdad, with Love" by Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman with Melinda Roth, Kopelman is a loyal and serious marine fighting to survive, as the book develops, Kopelman starts changing his ways and is becoming emotional, and finally as the book finishes, Kopelman becomes a softer more loving man. This story of triumph teaches all of how strong the bond can be between a man and his dog.