SAM DOG

On Sept. 2, off the coast of Trinidad, U.S. forces hit a vessel carrying 11 suspected drug smugglers — only two survived. A Washington Post report claimed the commander acted on Hegseth's alleged order to "kill everybody," raising alarms among legal experts and lawmakers about potential Geneva Convention violations. Hegseth denied everything as fabricated, Trump backed him fully, and Congress pushed for Pentagon records as investigations continued.

In the middle of the controversy, Hegseth posted a mocking edit of Franklin the Turtle in full combat gear, targeting drug boats. The image went viral instantly and transformed Franklin — once a gentle children's comic character — into a massive cultural flashpoint. Crypto Twitter took the meme and ran with it, and a full Solana meta formed overnight, sending Franklin into hype-cycle superstardom.

As the internet dug deeper into Franklin's old comics, they rediscovered Sam, Franklin's loyal blue dog — the sidekick who never left his shell in a fight. And just like that, Sam became the people's champion: the underdog turned war-hero mascot, the fearless partner laying down lead while Franklin pilots the chopper like a gunner killstreak.

Franklin sparked the movement, but Sam did the dirty work — and after ripping a brick of cocaine straight to the snout from the smugglers he dropped, there was no stopping this crazy bastard.

Sam isn't just a dog.
He's got that dawg in him.