Dogs have a long history of going to war, but in our own history, there was little use for them before the early 20th Century. Germany, France, and Belgium all made use of dogs in WWI and The Red Cross used dogs in the First World War as service dogs to find casualties and carry messages and medical supplies.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps began the first war dog training for American forces during World War II, training almost 10,000 war dogs for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Seven War Dog platoons served in the European theater and eight in the Pacific.
While German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers were used for their superior sense of smell, Doberman Pinschers, who were used extensively by the Germans in WWI, became popular working dogs for our troups. At that time, the United States Marines were so impressed by the Doberman’s service that they made the Doberman Pinscher their official mascot.
The War Dog Memorial on Guam shows the names of 25 Dobermans who gave their lives, including a life-sized bronze and granite statue of Kurt, a Doberman who saved the lives of 250 Marines by warning them of approaching Japaneese troops. An exact replica was donated to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. It honors not only the war dogs, but “symbolizes the special connection people share with dogs.”
Dogs served with distinction in the Korean and Vietman wars, during which, the US War Dogs Association estimates that war dogs and their handlers saved more than 10,000 lives. In 1967, the Air Force created the formal patrol dog training program that evolved into the Lackland Training Detachment, now responsible for virtually all military working dog training for the U.S. Armed Forces.
In recent years, dogs have continued to serve in Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq and other smaller operations.
In 2000, the first official War Dog Memorial was unveiled at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, CA and an identical memorial was dedicated at the National Infantry Museum, Ft. Benning, Georgia. The 19-foot high bronze memorials depict a GI in combat gear with a dog at his side. The inscription reads: They protected us on the field of battle. They watch over our eternal rest. We are grateful.
Great post. Thank you for reminding us to remember.
Shady
Thank you for this.