10/16/2026
Five Years
Five years since the phone call,
five years since the quiet came,
and still I catch myself listening
for the way you said my name.
You used to talk about the dogs,
the ones no one would choose,
the scared ones in the back,
the ones with the most to lose.
You never got to build it, son,
so I picked up your dream,
and every leash, and every kennel door
is stitched with your name at the seam.
There’s a veteran who sleeps tonight
because a dog is by his bed.
There’s a dog who has a home now
instead of a shelter bed.
They don’t know your name, Dustin,
but they’re living what you planned.
Every rescue is a piece of you
still reaching for my hand.
Five years. I miss you every day.
I’m keeping my promise, too.
Every dog we save, my boy,
we save because of you.
Airman Dustin Aimes
May 6, 1985 – October 16, 2021
Forever loved. Forever part of Stars & Stripes. 🇺🇸
