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

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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

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[iceskater]

This is great. I never knew about these animals. Chips sounds like he was a terrific dog.

This reminds me of some of the stories I saw on TV after 9/11 that talked about the rescue dogs.

I'm more of a cat person but these dogs could make me change my mind! :)

[FreeTheHostages]

Yes, it is great.

The idea of messenger dogs, passed between two handlers, makes perfect sense. I bet they still use them.

Great job Dutchess! And very "doggy" colors!

[ST.LOUIE1]

Good morning, Freezie!

((((((( Freezie )))))))

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Wednesday !!

[MeekOneGOP]

[dutchess]

Hi Meekie

We are idiots

Priceless!

[dutchess]

{{{{{{Wolfie}}}}}}}}

[dutchess]

Hi Free. Love your calendar today. Yes it is you!!!! Again, great job yesterday!

[ST.LOUIE1]

{{{{{{Wolfie}}}}}}}}

Ahhhhhhhhhh.........thank you, pretty lady. : )

[jwfiv]

Good morning to you, Miss Dutchess...and to all our gracious Hostesses and all the Finest.

Great story about the war dogs...touching and inspiring...thank you.

Regards to Gizmo, Codee and Fred the Cat...)

It's another good day to be alive...

[dutchess]

Hi ice. Good to see you. I read your Isabel misadventures yesterday. Yikes... How did Bubba and Lucy do????

[ST.LOUIE1]

It's another good day to be alive...

Sure beats the alternative. : )

Morning, JW!

[dutchess]

Hi Mixer. Good to see you!

[dutchess]

Hi Pippin. Is DC life back to normal????

[dutchess]

It's another good day to be alive...

Sure beats the alternative. : )

Goodmorning JohnnieMac. Our Wolfie's sense of humor is showing LOL!

[dutchess]

thinktwice just emailed this picture and caption. Thanks thinktwice. How touching. God bless these men

The picture was taken on 16 August 2003, aboard the USS Intrepid CV-11 -- docked as a floating museum in New York on the Hudson river at 46th Street -- on the 60th anniversary of the Intrepid's 16 August 1943 commissioning. The organizing event was a reunion for former Intrepid crewmembers, about 300 were in attendance, and these nineteen men were aboard the Intrepid on 25 November 1944 when the ship was heavily attacked, as shown in the background photo.

[lonestar]

We miss you Weinie.

Thank you and I think of you all daily. I've had my hands full up here getting everybody in line.

Poor Buddy Clinton. What a "basket case!" Such a sweet boy but he has all the symptoms of coming from a dysfunctional family.

Millie Bush has taken Buddy under her wing. They talk about the White House. Of course their experiences were totally different. Buddy thought everybody took the furniture when they left. He's having to be de-programmed.

Later,

Weinie

[Diver Dave]

Mornin' Giz.

Thanks for presenting a lot of my heroes today.

-Jack

[The Thin Man]

Hi dutchess and Gizmo! Love those war dogs, and wow, Chips was amazing.

"Heros"

Ummm......I think that should be "heroes." :-)

[Calpernia]

Good morning to the Finest! Off to pick my son up from preschool. Still behind. Be back.

The dog rescue and recovery dog camouflages easily. But this is one of the WTC dogs.