As the whole world knows, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets in Egypt in late January and early February, demanding the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The president resigned on Feb. 11, 2011.
The U.S. Embassy ordered the evacuation of non-essential American embassy personnel. U.S. Army Capt. Eric Coulson, the command judge advocate of the American embassy’s Office of Military Cooperation – Egypt, was one of the personnel who stayed behind. Here’s his story:
Capt. Eric Coulson, the command judge advocate of the American embassy’s Office of Military Cooperation – Egypt, with his wife in Cairo, Egypt, just prior to her mandatory evacuation from the country.
Three tanks rolled the down the streets of our ordinarily calm Cairo neighborhood. The cacophony of gunfire awoke many of us for nights in a row. Those of us with experience in Iraq and Afghanistan were nonplused, but many of our family and friends unaccustomed to such sights and sounds so close to home found the experience frightening.
The U.S. ambassador authorized (and later ordered) evacuation of non-essential personnel (basically, our family members), so the decision to leave Cairo was obvious but that didn’t make it easy.
However, as our spouses and children boarded charter aircraft bound for Cyprus, Greece, or Turkey, our four-legged family members were not authorized to leave.
As the command judge advocate, I was the point of contact for questions from embassy staff. Some questioned the legality of the orders to leave Egypt, even though it required leaving their pets to an unknown future. I told people that the orders were in fact legal. Yet, as the owner of two dogs myself, I struggled with the thought of leaving my own pets behind. So I offered to help find a sustainable situation for their pets.
A few dogs that Capt. Eric Coulson and Major Alvaro Roa took care of in Egypt while their owners were outside the country.
While the Command sought to manage the crisis in Egypt, it was recognized that an important part of taking care of our team was taking care of our team’s pets. Not only were there the pets of the evacuated families, there were also pets of our service members unable to leave the Embassy.
Fellow pet owner Major Alvaro Roa and I set up an emergency kennel for cats and dogs. Since some pet owners preferred their animals be left in their homes, we also made house calls. Some people had maids who regularly watched the animals; for those, we simply brought by supplies occasionally. Others placed animals with their veterinarians or Egyptian friends that were not evacuating. Nonetheless there was not a plan for every pet in the community.
Donated dog food and kitty litter for the pets left behind temporarily in Egypt.
Roa’s housing complex was completely vacated except for him. Fortunately, the buildings had roofs with small rooms and breezeways where we put several well-socialized dogs together with bowls of water and food. As well as keeping them out of the weather, this setting also gave them space to “do their business.”
For cats, meanwhile, we placed them in several apartments with the permission of the residents, making sure we checked at least daily on their water, food, and litter. We provided as much personal attention as we could spare.
Another dog that Capt. Eric Coulson and Major Alvaro Roa cared for in Egypt.
Major Roa and I had also been tasked to inspect all of our team members’ apartments and provide support to our command in our regular jobs. We set up a Facebook page to post pictures of our “Noah’s Ark” operation so evacuated family members could see their pets and their new friends being cared for and having fun, too.
In truth, Roa and I were as much coordinators as caretakers. Many members of the US military and diplomatic community here in Cairo have been part of this mission to help our teammates out. A U.S. Army veterinarian, Lt. Col. Nancy Merrill, checked the animals’ health and provided the necessary care and documentation to help transit some the animals back to their owners in the United States. Our Egyptian friends have also been helpful partners in this endeavor.
A cat left behind in Cairo relaxes on a computer keyboard.
Although the January 25th Revolution was not what we anticipated during our assignment in Egypt, it has been exciting to be in the middle of history in the making. Ordinary Egyptians, long cynical about the political processes in their own country, have a renewed interest in the governance of their country and a belief that once again they can make a difference in their own future. As an Army judge advocate, it has been thrilling to watch them engage in their own Rule of Law effort. It will be fascinating to watch the rest of this play out this year.
A few more pets that Capt. Eric Coulson and Major Alvaro Roa took care of in Egypt while their owners were outside the country.
Tags: cat, cats, dog, dogs, Egypt, Eric Coulson, judge advocate, revolution, tanks, U.S. Army
