The donkey became a popular mascot with the troops, who would send photos to children back home.

[2] In 2011, Smoke traveled halfway around the world to the United States: the only donkey to make such a journey.

[1] The process to relocate Smoke from Iraq to the United States required senior level diplomatic coordination by multiple countries, and the assistance of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

[1][2] Once in the United States, Smoke lived at Take Flight Farms in Omaha, Nebraska until his death on August 14, 2012, of natural causes.

[4] In 2016, Smoke the Donkey: A Marine's Unlikely Friend—a book about his life by Cate Folsom—was published by University of Nebraska Press.