98-Year-Old Veteran Meets Service Dog Named After Him

CATONSVILLE, MD — The Warrior Canine Connection trains and matches service dogs with disabled veterans. The kicker is that each dog is named after a veteran, including a dog named Bucci who bears the moniker of 98-year-old United States Army Private First Class Alfred Francis Bucci.

Bucci fought in the Battle of the Bulge and landed in France Nov. 1-2 in 1944.

“Dec. 13 we were offensively ready to do some fighting and for some reason or another they stopped Dec. 15,” he told WJLA. “The next day that’s when all hell broke loose and the Germans broke through, a lot of our men sacrificed ourselves and held the Germans for a good while."

The stoic Bucci possesses awards such as a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He also has a soft spot for the four-legged buddy named after him. They instantly connected upon first meeting.

"It’s a great privilege and I hope everything goes smoothly from here on out and it’s really a great thing,” Buccci said. “You got an organization doing a wonderful thing for everyone. I never dreamed something like this would happen. It’s an honor for me. It’s an honor, it is.”

Learn more about Warrior Canine Connection by visiting their website. Watch when Bucci met Bucci here.