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Mark D. Bruce
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Jackie, a Boy, and a Dog: A Warm Cold War Story Kindle Edition

by Mark D. Bruce (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 46 ratings
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An incredible journey of life lessons, grief and unexpected friendship changes the life of a young Midwestern boy who accidentally kills his beloved dog during a backyard baseball game in the summer of 1963. In his grief, he reaches out to the most powerful family in the world, President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy who give Mark a gift that changes his life. This true story not only gave this boy a dog to fill the void of his loss, but an unexpected friendship with the most iconic woman of the 20th century: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

In a series of unlikely divine interventions, Mark shares the journey and fulfillment of his love for dogs, brought back to life by a remarkable little dog, Streaker. Just as amazing is the long-term friendship Mark develops with Jacqueline, and how God used that friendship to mentor him. That sense of divine calling led Mark to opportunities of great service for the Kingdom of God, while at times dangerous, incredibly rewarding and important. Streaker may have been a mutt, but his simple bloodline showed Mark that anyone puts their giftedness in God's hands, and allows God to use them, amazing things happen.
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  1. Print length
    194 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    October 30, 2019
  4. File size
    10316 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark grew up with a love for dogs. This became a focal point of Mark’s childhood when the President and Mrs. Kennedy gave him the “pupnik” named Streaker, the grand-pup of Strelka, the first dog to orbit earth in a Soviet Sputnik spaceship, and return alive. Mark maintained a pen-pal relationship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with many personal letters, from the 1960’s until the 1980’s. Mark is an emergency medicine physician in Wisconsin, a husband of 42 years to his wife Moira E. O’Brien-Bruce, DO, and a father and grandfather to 5 children, and 7 grandchildren. Mark’s has traveled with the international medical ministry in Central America, Asia, Europe, and Africa, and led many teams into the Asian disaster zones for medical relief work. In addition to clinical duties, Mark is the Ambassador to Belize and Canada for the American College of Emergency Physicians

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07ZTYN5W4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clovercroft Publishing (October 30, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 30, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10316 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 194 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

About the author

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Mark D. Bruce

Mark D. Bruce

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MARK BRUCE, DO, FACEP

Mark Bruce was born and raised in the midwest with a brief 3 year early childhood hiatus to Arizona; The Bruce family returned to Arizona and have lived there since 1966. Mark’s father was a minister, and was the pastor of churches in Missouri and Arizona. The youngest of 3 boys, Mark grew up with a love for dogs. This became a focal point of Mark’s late childhood when President and Mrs. Kennedy gave him the “pupnik” named Streaker, the grand-puppy of Strelka, the first dog to orbit earth in a Soviet Sputnik spaceship, and return alive. Mark enjoys talking about this interesting time during the latter part of the Kennedy Presidential Administration. Mark maintained a 20-year pen-pal relationship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with many personal letters.

After many requests, Mark finally wrote Jackie, A Boy, and A Dog: A Warm Cold War Story, to preserve this interesting and inspiring account, and to reflect on how God intervenes in one’s life. The ripple effect of the Kennedys’ gracious gift to Mark have reverberated around the world. Mark has consistently put his giftedness at God’s disposal, using him as He sees fit; the results are amazing.

Mark is an Emergency Medicine physician, spending the early part of his career in the US NAVY, and for the last 35+ years has practiced in Wisconsin. He is married for 42 years to Moira E. O’Brien-Bruce, DO (Family Practice/Urgent Care), and they have 5 married adult children; they have 7 grandchildren, all of them beautiful and geniuses. Mark and Moira’s interests include travel and international medical ministry, in Central America, Asia, and Africa. Mark has led many teams into the Asian disaster zones for medical relief work.

In addition to his duties as an emergency department staff physician, he serves as the Lead Ambassador to Belize and the Ambassador to Canada for the American College of Emergency Physicians. Mark and Moira are also tutors for the Milwaukee Public Schools. Mark is a member and Elder of New Testament Church in Milwaukee, and a member of the Elmbrook Rotary Club.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
46 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

MPWI
5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle, heartwarming tale, filled with hope, love and so much more
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
When First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy casually asked Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at a dinner in Vienna in June of 1961 if he could send her one of the puppies born to Soviet space dog Strelka, little did she know she’d be mending the heart of a dog-loving boy in the Midwest who tragically lost his beloved pet and desperately wanted another, and making a friend for life. But such is the work of forces beyond our comprehension, and the basis for a gentle, heartwarming tale called, Jackie, A Boy and A Dog.

Mark D. Bruce affectionately recalls the amazing chain of events that brought him to the first lady’s attention. It all started with a letter he wrote to her asking for one of the dogs born to Pushinka, a gift to the Kennedys from Khrushchev, and the first family’s dog, Charlie. Mark’s letter, one of several thousand the Kennedys received at the White House, was singled out by the first lady, and Mark acquired a remarkable dog named Streaker, whom he loved at first sight. He would then begin a friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy via a series of heartfelt letters that the two exchanged spanning many years. Mark’s story, from idyllic boyhood in Missouri to a rewarding life as a doctor, husband, father and grandfather, overflows with faith, hope, respect, perseverance and love.

The text of the book is punctuated with the letters Jacqueline and Mark exchanged, along with press clippings about the recipients of the White House dogs. The book also offers readers a mini history lesson that includes a glossary of terms covering news events of the early 1960s such as The Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs, as well as capsules of the media coverage surrounding the 1961 Kennedy-Khrushchev summit.

My only criticism of the book is that the narrative tends to repeat itself at times, but this weakness is outweighed by its many strengths. One point this book makes is that Jacqueline Kennedy was more than a first lady of fashion and style: she also had strong maternal instincts that made her a long-time, loyal friend to a caring boy with a strong faith from the Midwest.

Jackie, A Boy and A Dog is the perfect book to read in times of darkness and despair. Mark’s story, filled with setbacks and triumphs, reminds us of God’s power, and how He goes about to shape our lives and make good things happen.
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Mary Bowers
5.0 out of 5 stars A sweet book!
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2023
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This is a short book describing a young boy who had the opportunity to have a special dog that was given to him by First Lady Jackie Kennedy. This was this boy’s claim to fame, receiving a puppy sired by dogs who traveled to outer space and back. The boy had a deep faith in God, and he detailed events in his life to demonstrated God’s interventions in his life. He included a continued correspondence with the former First Lady that spanned over many years. He attributed her impact on many aspects of his life. It was a pleasure to read!
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Mike Kotecki
5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful and insightful memoir!
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2023
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Though I bought this book in search of an uplifting human interest story, I was rewarded with many lessons and inspirations. I dare you to read this and not have a heightened respect for the power of faith, communication, resilience and spirituality. The story alone is quite fantastic, but the positivity it provides is invaluable.
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D. Broots
5.0 out of 5 stars First-person account of a touching, odd story about a dog, outer space, and Jackie Kennedy
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2022
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"Jackie, a Boy, and a Dog: A Warm Cold War Story" is a memoir by a retired doctor who, in the early 1960s, was a boy who wanted a dog. The dog he got was an offspring of one of the most famous dogs in the world, given to him by First Lady Jackie Kennedy. Streaker was a pup of a dog gifted to the Kennedy children by Nikita Khrushchev, then the president/dictator of the USSR. Streaker's grandmother had been one of the many dogs the Soviets had shot into space. I recalled hearing this story when I was a kid myself, but only recently did I learn of the existence of this book that offers a lot of charming, insightful detail into how a boy in Columbia, Missouri became part of this story.
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Grandma Evey
4.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming fast read.
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2020
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This was a fast read. Writer is about same age as me so it was fun to go back to what was going on in my childhood at same time. I always felt Jackie O was a classy lady and it his book you can see that. Kept up correspondence with young boy for many years. How impressive. The story of a boy and his dog was very heartwarming. Have never had any relationship with an animal but have friends and family who love their pets very much and this story helps me understand their feelings.
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dhb
5.0 out of 5 stars A great story
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2020
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This account takes one behind the news clippings, as in a Paul Harvey’s “Rest Of The Story”. It’s especially meaningful for those who remember the years of the Kennedy White House, and especially the First Lady. This story is worth reading.
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Bob Socks
5.0 out of 5 stars It’s historical
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2021
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It was a great read
Very historic with a number of letters written to this boy from Jackie Kennedy
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Anon
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story!
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2020
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A good read for those who like true stories of triumph in the midst of difficulties. This one is interesting from an historical standpoint, especially the 1960's, supported by documentation.
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