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A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....09-24-03...War Dogs...Forgotton Heros
Dutchess, Gizmo and Billie
Posted on 09/24/2003 5:57:19 AM PDT by 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
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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...
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"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
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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.
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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
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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.
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TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: dogsofwar; freepers; fun; military; patriotic; surprises; veterans; workingdogs
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To: dutchess
Ink sends her love to Gizmo, Codee and Fred. We sure are lucky!
To: Flyer
That is just *way* too cute!
BadDogCam - what a concept! :-)
62
posted on
09/24/2003 10:23:41 AM PDT
by
dansangel
(*Visualize No Democrats*)
To: Flyer
It could mean they like that short leash because it keeps them close to their honey.You backpeddled your sweet self right out of that one! LOL!!
63
posted on
09/24/2003 10:24:57 AM PDT
by
dansangel
(*Visualize No Democrats*)
To: Spruce
Make sure you let your daughter know that she is greatly appreciated!!!
64
posted on
09/24/2003 10:32:27 AM PDT
by
JustAmy
(God Bless our Military, Past and Present. Thank a Veteran for your FReedoms!)
To: Calpernia
Very cute!
To: lonestar
But I love war dogs! They are among my new friends.
WeinieRunning, playing, chasing squirrels, never catching them because they have no pain either......:)
66
posted on
09/24/2003 11:33:46 AM PDT
by
Billie
To: Flyer
I think a lot of the married guys here can probably relate to that. LOL!
67
posted on
09/24/2003 11:35:20 AM PDT
by
Billie
To: Mixer
68
posted on
09/24/2003 11:54:43 AM PDT
by
Billie
To: The Mayor; Aeronaut
You two never let us down if you're 'in town', and this hostess is always glad to see the little red plane and the purple cup! All's well. :)
69
posted on
09/24/2003 11:57:33 AM PDT
by
Billie
To: Billie
Why thank you, ma'am.
70
posted on
09/24/2003 12:00:29 PM PDT
by
Aeronaut
(In my humble opinion, the new expression for backing down from a fight should be called 'frenching')
To: ST.LOUIE1
...and as for the wolfie, well.....we know why he's here 'ever day' :)
71
posted on
09/24/2003 12:01:14 PM PDT
by
Billie
To: Pippin
Hi, Pip - loved your 'poem' today on the Poetry thread. :)
72
posted on
09/24/2003 12:02:41 PM PDT
by
Billie
To: FreeTheHostages
Afternoon, Miss Freezie! Waiting for the calendar that is all about you to open so I can see! :),p>Oh, LOL! I just saw it! Somehow, I don't quite believe you really, really feel that way. :)
73
posted on
09/24/2003 12:04:58 PM PDT
by
Billie
To: iceskater
Afternoon, iceskater, hope everything's good with you after Isabel now. :)
74
posted on
09/24/2003 12:06:25 PM PDT
by
Billie
To: Billie
Things are doing ok. We just have to get the little bit of food we managed to salvage by putting it in my Mom's freezer back from her house. The grocery stores are just bare. Pretty much everybody had to throw away most of their food so the grocery stores are as empty as I've ever seen. My sister who lives about 25 miles from me won't be getting power back any time soon. She does have a generator so that helps.
Work is back and driving me crazy so I guess that means things are pretty much back to normal. LOL!
But when the dust settles, we WILL be getting a generator.
To: MeeknMing
Afternoon, Meekie! What a picture! LOL! Idiots. :)
76
posted on
09/24/2003 12:48:28 PM PDT
by
Billie
To: jwfiv
Good afternoon to Johnny Mac. Things are well with you? I hope!
77
posted on
09/24/2003 12:51:05 PM PDT
by
Billie
To: dutchess; thinktwice
I love that picture, and its caption. And those men - God Bless those men who survived the attack on their ship, the USS Intrepid in 1944!
78
posted on
09/24/2003 12:57:21 PM PDT
by
Billie
To: dutchess
Whew! Thank goodness I'm back. I got lost in a very strange thread.
There's nothing like Freeper's Finest, where the people are always nice!!
I promise never to leave again!! Hee hee, well, maybe every now and then . . . .
To: Billie
80
posted on
09/24/2003 1:39:10 PM PDT
by
MeekOneGOP
(Check out the Texas Chicken D 'RATS!: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/keyword/Redistricting)
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