Animals at War

American Thinker: Many families during Thanksgiving are grateful for survival, the sharing of victories and struggles. Stories are retold of what people hold most precious, the core values of love, courage, and generosity. A recently published book shows how people’s furry friends answered the call to duty.

War Animals by national bestselling author Robin Hutton recounts the experiences of horses, mules, dogs, and pigeons that were all a part of the Allied war machine. They were messengers, spies, and sentinels. They carried supplies to the front, comforted wounded soldiers, became POWs, and were a vital part of the search and rescue effort during the German Blitz of London.

This is Hutton’s second book in the “War Animal” series.  In the first one, she recounted the story of Reckless, a sorrel mare, small for her size, that joined the Marines during the Korean War. Employed to help move heavy recoilless rifles and ammunition across steep and treacherous terrain, she regularly proved her bravery and endurance, making precarious trips hauling ammunition to soldiers in need, often under heavy fire. Once home, news of her promotion to staff sergeant quickly spread, though that notoriety has since faded. Hutton’s passion and admiration for Reckless is shown when she raised the money for not one but three monuments to this courageous horse, at Quantico, Camp Pendleton, and at the Kentucky Horse Park.

In this latest book, incredible and inspiring true stories are told of some animals who received the PDSA Dickin Medal during WWII and lesser-known stories of other military animals whose acts of heroism have until now been largely forgotten. Founded in 1943, the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal is the highest award an animal can achieve for gallantry and bravery in the field of military conflict, a Victoria Cross of sorts for animals.

War dogs came about after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Instead of originating from within the military, the war dog was founded by New York socialite Arlene Erlanger.  She was a poodle breeder and wanted to help the allied effort.  Starting a grassroots movement, she created Dog for Defense Inc., a volunteer organization that recruited a canine army, known as the K-9 Corps. Owners of dogs donated their personal pets to the war effort.  The 40,000 animals were whittled down to about 19,000 after the first cut, but ultimately a little over 10,000 were chosen.  The requirements included dogs that were between 28 inches tall at the shoulder, and no more than five years old.  Once trained, they were put on assignment with strict secrecy imposed.  more here

SNIP: Check out the US War Dogs Association