Nowzad is a charity set up to relieve the suffering of stray and abandoned dogs, cats and other animals in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Most people don’t realize the connection that Soldiers and animals make while in a combat zone,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Crocitto, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command Strategy and Policy Branch chief, G-3. “It is a bond that is not easily broken and to be able to have those animals come back to the states is a great thing for the Soldiers who befriended them.”

Nowzad was named after the village in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, Now Zad, which the British Royal Marines arrived at in 2006. It was organized after Royal Marine Sgt. Pen Farthing and others became attached to some of the local dogs and cats and wanted to be able to bring them home once their tours were completed.

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