A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....09-24-03...War Dogs...Forgotton Heros

Dutchess, Gizmo and Billie

[dutchess]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_bear, dansangel, Dutchess, Aquamarine, FreetheHostages

How precious we "creatures" great and small are. As we salute our military we thought it appropriate to spotlight some of our "behind the scene "heros", the War Dogs who have been serving our country since WWII. God bless our military men, women and canine friends...

"War Dogs...Forgotten Heros" Compiled from the Archives of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum & Quartermaster Historian, Fort Lee, Virginia by K. M Born.

The Army Quartermaster Corps began the U.S. Armed Forces first war dog training during WWII. By 1945 they had trained almost 10,000 war dogs for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

A little known, but interesting chapter in Quartermaster History is the War Dog program. During World War II, not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American Kennel Club and a new group calling itself "Dogs for Defense" mobilized dog owners across the country to donate quality animals to the Quartermaster Corps. Dogs donated by a patriotic public to the Army saved the lives of a number of soldiers in combat.

The first estimates were that only about 200 dogs would be needed, but that soon changed. Dogs for Defense worked with qualified civilian trainers, who volunteered their services without pay, to train dogs for the program. Soon the demand for sentry dogs outstripped the original limited training program. As requirements increased reception and training responsibility was transferred to the Quartermaster Remount Branch, which had years of experience dealing with animals. Dogs for Defense continued its highly successful campaign to solicit donations of dogs. In the fall of 1942 the program expanded to procure and train dogs for the Navy and Coast Guard as well. Later these branches procured and trained their own dogs.

Total training time for a dog was between 8-12 weeks. At the training centers, dogs began a rigid military routine. A "basic training" period was initiated where dogs were trained to carry out certain fundamental commands such as sit, stay, come, etc... They were also accustomed to muzzles, gas masks, riding in military vehicles and to gunfire. After completion of basic training each dog went through specialized training:

Sentry Dogs

Worked on a short leash and were taught to give warning by growling, alerting or barking. They were especially valuable for working in the dark when attack from cover or the rear was most likely. The sentry dog was taught to accompany a military or civilian guard on patrol and gave him warning of the approach or presence of strangers within the area protected.

Scout or Patrol Dogs

In addition to the skills listed for sentry dogs, scout/patrol dogs were trained to work in silence in order to aid in the detection of snipers, ambushes and other enemy forces in a particular locality.

Messenger Dogs

The most desired quality in these dogs was loyalty, since he must be motivated by the desire to work with two handlers. They learned to travel silently and take advantage of natural cover when moving between the two handlers. (A total of 151 messenger dogs were trained.)

Mine Dogs

Called the M-Dog or mine detection dog they were trained to find trip wires, booby traps, metallic and non-metallic mines. (About 140 dogs were trained. Only two units were activated. Both were sent to North Africa where the dogs had problems detecting mines under combat conditions.)

Outstanding War Dogs

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".

Dick, a scout dog donated by Edward Zan of New York City, was cited for working with a Marine Corps patrol in the Pacific Area. This dog not only discovered a camouflaged Japanese bivouac but unerringly alerted to the only occupied hut of five, permitting a surprise attack which resulted in annihilation of the enemy without a single Marine casualty.

Returning War Dogs to Civilian Life

At the end of the war the Quartermaster Corps put into operation a plan for return of war dogs to their civilian owners. Dogs were sent to a reprocessing section for the purpose of rehabilitation for civilian life. Dogs were trained that every human was friendly and tested for such things as reaction to people riding around them on bicycles or placed in an area with a great amount of noise. Before return, each dog was given a final check by a veterinary officer. Shipment of the dog to the owner was made at government expense. Those dogs which the original owner did not desire were sold to the public by the Treasury Department with the assistance of Dogs for Defense. By early 1947 the return of all borrowed dogs was completed.

Postscript

The oldest memorial to War Dogs in the United States is at the Hartsdale (New York) Pet Cemetery. This memorial was dedicated in 1922 to War Dogs used in World War I. In 1994 a War Dog memorial was dedicated at the U.S. Marine Corps War Dog Cemetery on Guam to honor the dogs that served in the An effort is currently underway to to petition the U.S. Postal Service for a stamp honoring military working dogs.

How to Adopt a Retired Military Dog

The Department of Defense is now making Military Working Dogs that are no longer capable of performing their military duties available for adoption. Public Law 106-446 makes the Department of Defense military working dogs available for adoption to law enforcement agencies, former handlers of these dogs, and other persons capable of caring for these dogs. If you are interested in adopting one of the dogs please call Status Control at 1-800-531-1066.

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 09-22-03 Military Monday 09-23-03...Isabel

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

Click on the photo to view the album. To
submit your photo, please contact danbh59@yahoo.com
and include Freeper Photo Album in subject line.

[dutchess]

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, One Nation Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All.

[dutchess]

Welcome to the Finest Pet day. Today please join us and learn more about our unsung heros....the war dogs who have served our country well.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Dutchess.

[dutchess]

God Bless Our Military
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Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Mama_Bear; Dansangel; Dutchess; Aquamarine; or FreetheHostages and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation’s leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

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We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult and devastating day that faces each of us and our country. Protect and guide our Military that are now being called to duty, strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Pippin....niece,nephew,loved one Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon..son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son BeAllYouCan Be............son Tiffee4Bob............boyfriend The Mayor.................niece consort...2 daughters, son-in-law Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty kimmie7......................brother Texkat.............son, stepson spruce...............daughter bkwells..................active duty visualops...........cousin

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear.........2 nephews gator girl............husband severa................husband MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat...........nephew Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Diver Dave................niece deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons kneezles...................son Darheel..................niece dixiesass..............nephew LadyX..............grandson AgThorn................2 sons valerieUSA............2 sons StarCMC.......brother atomic conspiracy..halfbrother atomic conspiracy..niece, nephew ODC_GIRL.......active duty

[dutchess]

Goodmorning Aeronaut. Am running late today and was afraid I missed you. As always, thanks for helping keep our skys safe :o)

[lonestar]

I could have been a war dog if I'd wanted to be. I just didn't want to be.

I wanted to be governor of California.

But I love war dogs! They are among my new friends.

Weinie

[Flyer]

Worked on a short leash

I think a lot of the married guys here can probably relate to that.

[The Mayor]

[dutchess]

But I love war dogs! They are among my new friends. Weinie

Oh...how sweet. We miss you Weinie.

(((((lonestar)))))

[dutchess]

Worked on a short leash.
I think a lot of the married guys here can probably relate to that.

LOL! Good to see you Flyer!

[dutchess]

Coffee AND donuts. YUM...thanks Russ.

[ST.LOUIE1]

Wonderful post, dutchess!

I've seen a couple of documentaries about these amazing dogs. Great heart, great courage!

Er....Chips looks a lot like wolfie. : )

((((((( dutchess )))))))

[Flyer]

It's good to be here, too. This may be a day for chores around home so I may be able to hang out here off and on.

[Mixer]

Hope all is well with all of you. Just a note to say hi and a bump for later reading. Have a Great Day everyone

[ST.LOUIE1]

Mixie! Great to see you! Have a Finest day!

[Pippin]

Howdy, (((Mixer)))!

[Pippin]

Good Morning, (((Dutchess)))!

Time to release the Dogs of War!

I like a thread dedicated to our canine war heroes! :O)

[FreeTheHostages]

FINALLY, a calendar that is all about me!

[FreeTheHostages]

{{{Louie}}}

[FreeTheHostages]

You're always so timely!