In the Face of Horror

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

...Compassion shines through

 

 

 

 

The Battle of Saipan.... 1944

 

I am never far from amazement, that even in such abject Horror, Compassion is still within our grasp!.... Sometimes, I am really proud to call myself a member of the Human Race.

 

You often hear tales like this, in conflicts...I wonder what it is, that makes men..who have witnessed and lived through this experience, help a lowly Dog?...when they are surrounded by Death and Horror.

 

Maybe a Soldier only knows the answer to that?

Edited January 16, 2012 by UK_Widowmaker

[Flyby PC 23]

These are War dog pics UKW. I'm sure these are US dogs attached to Marine and Infantry units fighting the Japanese.

 

 

There was actually a program on TV about them a while ago. Initially, they were met with the scepticism you'd expect, but once the troops realised the dogs WOULD find any japs whatever the cover, the troops were extremely grateful for the support, and the other side of the coin being the Japs made them priority targets.

 

Most if not all the dogs were donated by the public, and once finished their service, they were de-trained to be sociable again, and those that could be went back to their owners, or were bought by the handler if the family agreed.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

These are War dog pics UKW. I'm sure these are US dogs attached to Marine and Infantry units fighting the Japanese.

 

 

There was actually a program on TV about them a while ago. Initially, they were met with the scepticism you'd expect, but once the troops realised the dogs WOULD find any japs whatever the cover, the troops were extremely grateful for the support, and the other side of the coin being the Japs made them priority targets.

 

Most if not all the dogs were donated by the public, and once finished their service, they were de-trained to be sociable again, and those that could be went back to their owners, or were bought by the handler if the family agreed.

 

Oh wow!....I never knew that!....thanks Flypc.

 

Kinda takes the 'Compassion' out of it a bit!....as they were clearly useful...but nonetheless...nice to know

[Olham 164]

Yes, compassion sure is one of our better sides.

The unconditional love of a dog to "his human" should make it almost impossible for even the hardest to resist it.

How could you not feel with them, when they look into your eyes...

[Slartibartfast 153]

The "Wardogs" sometimes are there with you and your mates and they stick by you, defend you, look after you in their way they are soldiers like the man standing next to you they are your brothers in arms just the same and when they are hurt or killed you grieve for them the same and you treat them the same as your fellow soldier as they are loyal to you and the team they are attached to and are willing to go that extra mile to make sure everyone is safe from harm... and you for your side protect them as well as they protect you

Edited January 16, 2012 by Slartibartfast

[Flyby PC 23]

From what I gathered, these fellas grew very attached to their dogs, naturally so in my opinion. By all accounts, they did save a lot of lives, warning of ambushes, trip wires, mines, finding tunnels etc.

 

In the TV program, one of the PFC handlers got promoted, but NCO's did not have dogs, so after a couple of days he handed back his stripe. Better a private with a dog than a lance corporal without one.

 

 

I'm not sure how I feel about it. Positive in a lot of ways, but then again a battlefield is no place for an animal. I'm sure you've heard about the soviets feeding their war dogs under vehicles, so that they would run under enemy trucks with mines strapped to their backs. From a couple of books I've read, worse than the actual mines exploding was the effect on German morale to have to shoot any dog they encountered.

 

It's a toughie. If the dogs knew they were going to war, I reckon they'd still be up for it, but if I went off to war, I'd sleep easier know my two lads were sitting at home waiting for me.

 

Same goes for horses. I forget the number, but a horrific number of them were killed in WW1, and I'm sure many of them near the action were in a state of perpetual terror.

 

 

 

 

[NS13Jarhead 6]

Flyby is absolutely correct. They were an integral part of the combat forces in the Pacific. Here's a great picture of a Marine on Iwo Jima, asleep with his doberman sitting alert by his side.

 

 

Also, here's a picture of the War Dog Memorial on Guam.

 

Edited January 17, 2012 by NS13Jarhead

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Lovely photo's m8....thanks

 

 

“(Twenty-five) Marine war dogs gave their lives liberating Guam in 1944,” the memorial reads. “They served as sentries, messengers, scouts. They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps. Semper Fidelis.”

 

That this proclamation would end with the Marine Corps’ famed Latin motto, “always faithful,” is fitting. During Guam’s liberation, Marines relied on these mostly Doberman working dogs – not only to sniff out enemy soldiers hiding in caves or carry needed medical supplies – but also to warn against enemy attacks as they spent the night alongside the dogs in foxholes, or went on more than 450 patrols.

 

According to surviving veterans, and as described on the monument itself, many of the Marines owe their lives to these faithful canines. In one incident alone, Kurt, the Doberman whose regal likeness tops the monument, saved the lives of 250 Marines when he silently warned them of Japanese troops ahead, according to several published accounts. Such incidents made for powerful bonds between the dogs and their handlers.

 

“In these battles, as in their training, the men learned to depend on their dogs and to trust their dogs’ instincts with their lives,” veterinarian William W. Putney writes in his book “Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII.” The retired Marine captain helped train the dogs in 1943 and was the commanding officer of the 3rd War Dog Platoon and veterinarian for both platoons during the battle of Guam. “The dogs proved so valuable on Guam that every Marine division was assigned a war dog platoon and they paved the way for the many dogs that have followed them in the armed services, most famously in Vietnam.”

 

Putney lobbied, largely unsuccessfully, to have war dogs detrained and returned to civilian life after the war (it happened to only 4 out of 549). He was also the driving force behind the Guam War Dog Memorial – America’s first memorial dedicated to military working dogs.

 

As the dogs were killed while searching out bombs and enemy troops or transporting equipment across enemy lines, they were buried at Asan, the initial invasion point, in a small parcel at the Marine Cemetery. Latter, white headstones were added to what would become Guam’s War Dog Cemetery. In the late 1980s, Putney returned to find the animal’s graves overgrown and unkempt. He put the word out and was soon able to help raise funds to clean the grounds and commission the monument.

 

On July 21, 1994 – the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Guam – the Guam War Dog Memorial was dedicated to the dogs that gave their lives to liberate Guam. Today, it also stands as a monument to all U.S. military working dogs – as well as the special bond and missions they share with their handlers.

Edited January 17, 2012 by UK_Widowmaker