because of a military dog in his unit who was the first to spot the taliban fighter and the first to come under fire. i watched his body language. as it changed, i knew we were getting close to something. and then before i realized what was there, he took a couple rounds to the head. with an ak-47 at six inches. he was killed and jimmy nearly lost his leg. he was so badly wounded he had to retire from the navy. that didn t mean that jimmy hatch retired from serving. he found a new mission by founding spike s k9 fund, a charity name for the first dog he handled in the military spike who was killed on a mission in iraq in 2006. for me as a person who handled the dog, it was my duty i felt to make sure that he was protected. when the dog gets hurt or killed, you failed.
this group in the plane are mostly volunteers. we re all here for a fund-raiser for jimmy hatch s charity spike s k9 fund which raises money to protect the lives of police dogs, buying them bullet proof vests. she s an athlete. i met jimmy two years ago when i interviewed him for a story. he served in the navy for almost 26 years. most of it as part of a special mission unit. jimmy doesn t like to make a big deal of it. he has seen a lot of combat in his life. he has done some remarkable things to help protect us. on his last mission in afghanistan in 2009, jimmy was critically wounded in the leg by a taliban fighter while searching for army private bowe bergdahl. his life was saved partly
bringing you a series called champions for change, a chance to tell you about people dedicating their lives to making a difference in their community, helping others. when i got this assignment, i knew who i wanted to tell you about. you are about to meet someone who i know very well. his name is jimmy hatch. he has done extraordinary things in his life to serve his country. he s not just a friend but also a personal hero of mine. you ll see why. i m going to step straight back. you are stepping out. i m looking toward straight back. think about falling. i don t want to think about falling, but okay. if you are friends with jimmy hatch, chances are you will end up here. on a plane climbing to 13,000 feet, about to do something a little crazy. this group in the plane with me are mostly volunteers. we re all here for a fund-raiser for jimmy hatch s charity spike s k9 fund which raises