Some Other Unforgotten Heroes This Memorial Day Weekend

[javaguru]

The war dogs; Our disgraceful treatment of Vietnam veterans wasn't restricted to our returning soldiers.
http://www.uswardogs.org/id23.html

Dogs of Vietnam/Brief History:

There is a confirmed list of 3,747 dogs that were used in Vietnam
identified by Dr. Howard Hayes, Veterinarian (RET) of the National
Institute of Health as of March 1994, by "brand number" (a tattoo usually placed
in the left ear of the dog). However, it is estimated that approximately
4,900 dogs where used during the course of the war between 1964 and 1975.
Records of the dogs in Vietnam where not maintained by the military prior to
1968, thus the discrepancy.



How Many Dogs Returned Home?

Only 204 dogs exited Vietnam during the 10-year period. Some
remained in the Pacific, and some returned to the United States. None returned tocivilian life. So what happened to the dogs that remained? Most where euthanized and the others where turned over to the ARVN (South Vietnamese
Army).

How Many Handlers Served in Vietnam and what Branch of Service?
All four branches of the military used dogs in Vietnam.
Approximately 10,000 handlers served. Vietnam was the largest concentrated effort of the use of dogs and handlers in any Combat Era the United States has ever undertaken. It is estimated that the dogs and handlers saved over 10,000 lives.



The following is a breakdown of handlers by Military Branch that
served in Vietnam. 65%Army 26%Air Force 7%Marine 2%Navy.

What Mission (duties) did the Dogs and Handlers Have in Vietnam?



Scout Dogs

A Scout Dog Team consisted of one German Shepherd and the handler.
When requested the Scout Dog Team joined an infantry unit and served as
their"eyes and ears". The Scout Dog Team walked "point" (out front) for the
unit, looking for booby trap trip wires, ambushes, hidden caches of food or
weapons, snipers etc. When the dog alerted, the handler passed the
information to the patrol leader who then moved his troops forward.

Scout dogs and handlers where trained at Ft. Benning, Ga. Some Scout Dog
handlers were trained "In-Country" (OJT) or were originally trained as Tracker
handlers.)



Combat Tracker Teams (CTT:

The Tracker Team consisted of a Labrador Retriever (Sometimes
Shepherds) and handler, a cover man, a Visual Tracker and a Team Leader. Trackers were called to duty when the unit wished to re-establish contact with theenemy.Tracker teams acted much like the old Indian Scouts (except for theuse of the dogs). They were called upon to "track" either visually or by
using a Labrador Retriever to follow ground (blood trails, body odor etc.) or
airborne scent in order to locate missing personnel, i.e., downed pilots,
wounded GI's, or the enemy. The Majority of Combat Trackers and
Tracker Dogs were trained in Malaysia at the British Jungle Warfare School (JWS) orat Ft. Gordon, Ga. in the U.S.


Sentry Dog Teams:

Sentry Dog Teams were universal within every branch of the U.S.
Armed Forces in Vietnam to include the Air Force in Thailand; and were
normally an arm of Military Police Units (All Branches had police units-they just call them different names). Sentry Dog Teams, "walked the wire" on the outskirts of a location and their primary form of communication was via radio
after the dog alerted. Back up to the team was a tower or bunker guard, a
quick response team, or getting illumination (flares). Sentry Dog Teams (K9]
were comprised of one German Shepherd and one handler and generally worked at night (about 99%). Their mission was to "Detect, Detain, and Destroy.


Sentry Dog Teams were the first line of defense on the perimeter of not only Bases in Vietnam but also ammo depots, supply areas, communications areas, naval installations, camps, flight lines, and other sensitive areas.

The majority of Sentry Dog handlers and Sentry Dogs were trained at
Lackland Air Force Base, TX. (All branches), however, some were trained in Showa(Tachikawa), Japan, and many handlers were trained "In-Country- (OJT)


Mine/Booby/Tunnel Dog Teams:

The Team was one German Shepherd and a handler in support of infantry
and combat engineer operations (Army and Marines). The mission was to
detect mines, booby-traps, trip wires, tunnel compiles and any other casualty
producing devices. They also assisted in searching villages or suspected
areas of enemy built up supplies, weapons and ammunition.

 

[Raptorex]

A tip of the cap to all of our Vets, Men - Women - Animals.

 

[javaguru]

"Sgt.STUBBY"




America's first war dog, Stubby, served 18 months 'over there' and participated in seventeen battles on the Western Front. He saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, located and comforted the wounded, and even once caught a German spy by the seat of his pants. Back home his exploits were front page news of every major newspaper.

Stubby was a bull terrier - broadly speaking, very broadly! No one ever discovered where he hailed from originaly. One day he just appeared, when a bunch of soldiers were training at Yale Field in New Haven, Ct; he trotted in and out among the ranks as they drilled, stopping to make a friend here and a friend there, until pretty soon he was on chummy terms with the whole bunch.

One soldier though, in particular, developed a fonest for the dog, a Corporal Robert Conroy, who when it became time for the outfit to ship out, hid Stubby on board the troop ship.

So stowaway Stubby sailed for France, after that Cpl. Conroy became his accepted master, even though he was still on chummy terms with every one else in the outfit; and in the same spirit of camarderie that had marked his initial overtures at Yale.

It was at Chemin des Dames that Stubby saw his first action, and it was there that the boys discovered he was a war dog par excellence. The boom of artillery fire didn't faze him in least, and he soon learned to follow the men's example of ducking when the big ones started falling close. Naturally he didn't know why he was ducking, but it became a great game to see who could hit the dugout first. After a few days, Stubby won every time. He could hear the whine of shells long before the men. It got so they'd watch him!

Then one night Stubby made doggy history. It was an unusally quiet night in the trenches. Some of the boys were catching cat naps in muddy dugouts, and Stubby was stretched out beside Conroy. Suddenly his big blunt head snapped up and his ears pricked alert. The movement woke Conroy, who looked at the dog sleepily just in time to see him sniff the air tentatively, utter a low growl, then spring to his feet, and go bounding from the dugout, around a corner out of sight.

Afew seconds later there was a sharp cry of pain and then the sound of a great scuffle outside. Conroy jumped from his bed, grabbed his rifle and went tearing out towards the direction of the noise.

A ludicrous sight met his eyes. Single-pawed, in a vigorous offensive from the rear, Stubby had captured a German spy, who'd been prowling through the trenches. The man was whirling desperately in an effort to shake off the snarling bundle of canine tooth and muscle that had attached itself to his differential. But Stubby was there to stay.

It took only afew moments to capture the Hun and disarm him, but it required considerably more time to convince Stubby that his mission had been successfully carried out and that he should now release the beautiful hold he had on that nice, soft German bottom.

By the end of the war, Stubby was known not only to every regiment, division, and army, but to the whole AEF. Honors by the bale were heaped on his muscled shoulders. At Mandres en Bassigny he was introduced to President Woodrow Wilson, who "shook hands" with him. Medal and emblemed jackets were bestowed upon him for each deed of valor, plus a wound stripe for his grenade splinter. Not to be left out, the Marines even made him an honorary sergeant.

After the Armistice was signed, Stubby returned home with Conroy and his popularity seemed to grow even more. He became a nationally acclaimed hero, and eventually was received by presidents Harding and Coolidge. Even General John "Black Jack" Pershing, who commanded the American Expeditionary Forces during the war, presented Stubby with a gold medal made by the Humane Society and declared him to be a "hero of the highest caliber."

Stubby toured the country by invitation and probably led more parades than any other dog in American history; he was also promoted to honorary sergeant by the Legion, becoming the highest ranking dog to ever serve in the Army.

He was even made an honorary member of the American Red Cross, the American Legion and the YMCA, which issued him a lifetime membership card good for "three bones a day and a place to sleep."




Stubby At Georgetown!

Afterwards, Stubby became Georgetown University's mascot. In 1921, Stubby's owner, Robert Conroy was headed to Georgetown for law school and took the dog along. According to a 1983 account in Georgetown Magazine, Stubby "served several terms as mascot to the football team." Between the halves, Stubby would nudge a football around the field, much to the delight of the crowd.

Old age finally caught up with the small warrior on April 4th, 1926, as he took ill and died in Conroy's arms.

It's said, that Stubby and afew of his friends were instrumental in inspiring the creation of the United States 'K-9 Corps' just in time for World War ll.


Hahn's 50th AP K-9, West Germany






" War Dog Hero from World War II "

Probably the most famous War Dog was Chips. Chips was donated by Edward J. Wren of Pleasantville, New York, was trained at Front Royal , Virginia in 1942, and was among the first dogs to be shipped overseas. He was assigned to the 3d Infantry Division and served with that unit in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. His assignments included sentry duty at the Roosevelt-Churchill conference in Casablanca in January 1943. Although trained as a sentry dog, Chips was reported on one occasion by members of Company I, 30th Infantry Regiment, to have broken away from his handler and attacked a pillbox containing an enemy machine gun crew in Sicily. He seized one man and forced the entire crew to surrender. He was also credited by the units to which he was assigned as having been directly responsible for capture of numerous enemy by alerting to their presence. In recognition of his service Chips was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart, both were later revoked. In 1993 Disney produced a TV move about Chips called "Chips the War Dog".

 

[javaguru]

Caesar, a messenger dog, with his handler during World War II.
Wounded during a Japanese attack, Caesar carries the scar
of a bullet wound to his left shoulder.

(War Dogs-A History of Loyalty and Heroism; National Archives)

 

[Spartacus]

I just awoke this morning in dnepropetrovsk and petted a couple of old mangy dogs belonging to some old guy sweeping the streets
"Victor"
no language barriers with the animals

 

[javaguru]

I just awoke this morning in dnepropetrovsk and petted a couple of old mangy dogs belonging to some old guy sweeping the streets
"Victor"
no language barriers with the animals

I saw a documentary on the history channel with some soldiers in an SDZFK 251 with a German Shepherd.....can't find the clip on youtube.....