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This coming Saturday, March 13, will mark the 68th birthday of the United States K9 Corps; it was one man's dying wish to see that date marked officially on the national calendar as K9 Veterans Day. As civic proclamations spread (including one from Florida Governor Charlie Crist), that dog tag dream may come true.
Image Credits: Top - Australian Army Trackers and War Dogs Association
Joseph J. White was a young rebel when drafted into the Vietnam war. Initially installed as a Point Guard, he found inspiration when he witnessed a U.S. military dog being airlifted down from a helicopter. White approached his commanders about working with the dogs but they refused his request. Only after seeking written approval from his congressman did White finally obtain appointment to the Scout Dog Platoon. He was partnered with Ebony, a pure black German Shepherd, in what proved to be one of the more pivotal relationships of his life.
In his biographical book, "Ebony & White", White relates how the partnership evolved and the depth of the dog's loyalty in war time. One incident describes how Ebony guided White and platoons of men safely through the jungle. At yet, at war's end, the dogs were considered 'expendable surplus' not allowed on U.S soil.
When speaking by phone to White's dedicated widow, Sally, she described his despair and how it inspired a movement. "He fought to get Ebony on a state-side police force but that didn't work out," she said. "His last memory of the war was seeing Ebony chained up to kennel by the Vietnamese, who generally left the dogs like that to die. He never forgot it."
Soldier dogs have come a long way since Vietnam. The animals are no longer regarded as mere equipment and the military readily acknowledges the bond between man and beast. As a result, the dogs generally come home to civilian life along with their handlers. Also, in the Marines, dogs are bestowed an actual military rank, one notch above the handler's, to reinforce respect.
Many others have felt compelled to honor these canine heroes (including a War Dog Stamp petition) and two war dog memorials were unveiled just a decade ago. The first on President's Day 2000 at March Field Air Museum - March Air Force Base in Riverside, California. The second at Sacrifice Field in front of the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Georgia on October 8th, 2000.
"America's war dogs were trained to recognize booby traps, mines tunnels and weapons caches. They warned troops about ambushes. They saved lives by dragging wounded soldier to safety. America's war dogs prevented over 10,000 casualties in Vietnam alone and bravely served our country in Operation Desert Storm as well as WWII. Yet many of these canine heroes were declared 'surplus armaments' either euthanized or left to unknown fates…"
--Jeffrey P. Bennett, President, War Dog Memorial, on the unveiling of the sculpture honoring war dogs by A. Thomas Schomberg at Fort Benning, GA
In fact, in a quick search for 'war dog memorial', I found several honoring military dogs and canines who work with police and law enforcement here in the U.S. One granite inscription in particular - from the Miami Police K9 Memorial - got me all choked up:
"BORN TO LOVE. TRAINED TO SERVE. LOYAL TO THE END. BEST FRIEND TO OUR NATION'S FINEST… AN OFFICER'S EXTRA SENSE TO GUIDE AND PROTECT YOUR EYES IN THE DARK. A NOSE FOR DANGER. A PARTNER FAITHFUL BEYOND WORDS."
A recent Wall Street Journal article ("Eve His Red Squeak Toy Can't Get First Sgt. Gunner, USMC, To Fight") highlighted the stress and strains of our overseas war dogs. The article touched on the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms often associated with psychologically damaged soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Like their human comrades, some war dogs can handle combat, and some can't. One Marine Corps explosives dog, a black Lab named Daisy, has found 13 hidden bombs since arriving in Afghanistan in October. Zoom, another Lab, refused to associate with the Marines after seeing one serviceman shoot a feral Afghan dog. Only after weeks of retraining, hours of playing with a reindeer squeaky toy and a gusher of good-boy praise was Zoom willing to go back to work."
--Michael M. Phillips, Wall Street
