Honoring our Fallen: Adam Cann
Our community’s commitment to saying the names of our fallen brothers and sisters and remembering their sacrifice is not only the ultimate mark of respect, but it helps to keep their legacy alive.
The tragic death of Adam Cann in Ramadi, Iraq on January 5, 2006, was a significant moment for lots of reasons: The loss of a bright, funny, loyal, life-loving 23-year-old, who was also the first dog handler KIA since the Vietnam war. We spoke to Adam’s dad, Leigh, about his son’s selfless sacrifice and the moments since his death that have brought comfort, through the commitment of keeping Adam’s legacy burning bright.
From a Few of the Finest to the Finest of the Few: US Marine Corps Sergeant Adam Cann
Adam
Even as a small boy, Adam’s personality and attitude stood out. “Adam was filled with character and had so many friends”, dad Leigh explains from his home in Florida. Leigh obtained full custody of his three boys and raised them in South Florida. He later married his wife Carol when the boys were teenagers.
Adam with his dad and two brothers
It wasn’t a huge surprise to Leigh when Adam joined the Marine Corps. “We have a long military history in our family, dating right back to the Revolutionary War. Adam’s big brother – my son Justin – joined the Corps in 1999, continuing the tradition. And although Adam had played with the idea of being a chef while he was at high school, his head was turned once he spoke to a recruiter.”
Adam joined the Corps in 2000 and after basic training, attended Military Police (MP) school at Fort Leonard Wood, MI, before going to Lackland Air Force Base, TX, for K-9 school. “Adam was a natural leader and was top of his class. After he completed basic training in K-9, he went to Camp Pendleton – joining the second Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) – before being assigned his first duty station in Okinawa. He was in Japan when 9/11 happened but we all knew that a deployment to the Middle East would be on the cards very quickly.”
Leigh recalls that in Adam’s leave from service, he would come home and the house would be instantly filled with people. “He was so happy and dedicated to his friends, they all wanted to be around him when he visited us at home from the Corps. I loved that about him. Seeing him back at home and chatting with him about his career as a dog handler – I could see how much he loved it. He had found his calling and he was ready to go wherever he was needed.”
Adam and his MWD Basco spent their first tour in Kabul, providing patrol and security capabilities. On returning to Camp Pendleton, Adam was paired with his new dog – Bruno – and deployed to Iraq. But Leigh explains that Adam was frustrated with his assignment. “He and Bruno were securing the border of Jordan and Syria and he really wasn’t happy doing that. He told me that he wanted to be where the shit was – he wanted to get involved and do his part. That’s when he was sent to Ramadi.”
Adam on deployment
Ramadi
The city of Ramadi lays west of Baghdad and is a key area for trade and traffic, thanks to its position on the Euphrates River. The area was seeing some of the fiercest fighting in the country when Adam landed there. Leigh recalls that Adam was excited to get in the thick of the action and for him and Bruno to set to work. “We stayed in close contact as much as Adam’s schedule could allow, but watching the news and seeing where he was, I knew things were bad.”
The day Adam was killed, he and Bruno were providing security and crowd control outside an Iraqi Police recruitment facility (Glass Factory) in the city. “It had gone crazy there that day”, Leigh explains. “A truck had tried to drive through the bomb walls outside of the factory, which allowed for an enemy operative to infiltrate the line where people were waiting to be processed.”
The area was packed with over 1,000 citizens over three days, hoping to find work with the local police force. As Bruno alerted to a suspect in the crowd, Adam confronted the man, who was wearing a suicide vest, packed with 25lbs of explosives. Following Bruno’s aggressive response, Adam advanced to the bomber causing him to pre-detonate the device which killed Adam, an Army Lieutenant Colonel and 35 civilians, as well as wounding Bruno. Thanks to Adam’s selfless and knowing sacrifice, fellow Marines were unharmed.
“Adam knew that something was going to happen. He had received intelligence that something was going to happen that day. It was his day off, but he told his fellow dog handlers to stay back and that he would go. The others were married and had children. He didn’t tell anyone about the potential bomber but decided to step up to give his life to save others. This was so typically Adam. He had steel balls and was always the one to step up. He was smart and poised and would always look out for his friends and fellow Marines.
“When the Marines visited my house on the night of 5 January, one of the Marines, a huge dude named Gunnery Sergeant Forbes – drove home the point that Adam had saved lives. The lives of his friends. The lives of innocent people around him. In that moment, although filled with unimaginable sorrow, I could feel Adam’s heroism. His bravery. The commitment he showed to his team and to his country. I felt so proud of him.”
A Hero’s Goodbye
Adam’s funeral was one of the largest gatherings for a non-commissioned officer at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Leigh recalls the day: “As we arrived, the rain was falling sideways – it really was an awful day. My wife – and Adam’s stepmom who had helped raised him and his brothers with me since they were young teenagers – came with me to the chapel of rest where we were able to see Adam. He was absolutely perfect and as handsome as I remember him. As we walked out for the burial, the rain stopped and the sun came out, which felt like the perfect tribute to my boy.”
Leigh recalls how many of Adam’s friends and fellow Marines had come out to pay their respects, travelling from all parts of the country to honor his passing. “There were a good many girlfriends of Adam’s there too, which made me smile. He was so charming, it really wasn’t a surprise.”
Bruno visits Adam at Arlington
Adam was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for his actions for that day in Ramadi, although there has been a lot of speculation as to whether Adam was correctly decorated for his actions. “It should have been the Silver Star or the Navy Cross”, Leigh said. “I spoke with several high-ranking officers at Pendleton around the time of Adam’s death and since, and they were all bewildered by the decision to award the Bronze Star. That fact doesn’t diminish his sacrifice, though, or how proud we are of him.”
What remains true is Adam’s legacy – not only as the first dog handler to be killed in action since Vietnam, but as a heroic Marine who saved lives by sacrificing his own. “Adam really did carve out his own legacy in that regard”, Leigh said. “The decision he made in that moment to save lives was so in line with his character off the battlefield, and those actions really have placed Adam as a Marine Corps legend. With the bravery he showed, it’s not hard to imagine why so many were taken with his story and have gone to great lengths to memorialize him.”
Adam and Leigh supporting their beloved Miami Dolphins
A Light that Shines Bright
Our nation has a rich heritage of honoring our fallen heroes in a multitude of ways and Adam is no exception. Leigh’s place of work at the Department of Transportation in Miami, Florida named their building after Adam, just ten months after his death and the K-9 facility in Barstow, CA, famously named their facility honoring Adam. In addition, a bomb wall that had Adam’s likeness was shipped to Camp Pendleton from Fallujah, Iraq, and is now located at the East gate of that Marine Corps Base.
Most recently, a memorial statue was unveiled in upper state New York, of Adam and Bruno. Nine years in the planning, the statue was sponsored by legislator John Brezinski, who read Adam’s story and vowed to make the memorial a reality. “I spoke a lot with John when he had the idea for the statue. I was curious as to why he wanted to place a memorial to Adam in New York, but he said that Americans across the country would want to hear of his story and remember his sacrifice, which I couldn’t argue with.”
The Guardians of Freedom memorial sculpture of Adam
The sculpture and monument, which stands proud just to the north of the thruway exit in Herkimer, was unveiled in October 2023 with a gathered crowd of over 300 of Adam’s friends and family, along with local dignitaries and veterans.
Speaking at the event, sculptor Lena Toritch said: “I put my heart and soul into this monument. It was researched and depicted absolutely accurate, but there is one detail you won’t see with your eyes but with your heart. This is love and gratitude.”
Leigh with Adam’s statue at the unveiling
Adam’s memory is immortalized in stone and bronze; in books written about his heroism and in the many articles that feature his story. Adam is also remembered and talked about often by the friends and family who loved him so much.
“Attending the Marine Corps dog handlers’ reunion last March and spending time with Adam’s friends is always a real highlight. They bullshit about old war stories and times they all spent together. We visited Adam at Arlington and I took a stone from my new house and placed it on his headstone, so there is always a piece of us with him.
“The day he gave his life for his country and his friends, Adam took his place with the brave men and women who are held in admiration and honor for their sacrifices. That is Adam’s real legacy.”
Never Forgotten: Adam Cann
