3 Of the Most Famous War Dogs

Nemo

            Nemo was a German Shepherd that fought during the Vietnam War. He was born in 1962. Two years later, Nemo started his career with the Air Force. In 1966, his handler Bryant and him went to Vietnam. They were assigned to the Security Squadron, at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. A few months later, Byrant rotated back to the US, while Nemo was paired with different handlers. He was paired with Robert Thorneburg. In December, Thorneburg and Nemo went onto patrol, away from base. Soon after, Nemo sensed that there were enemy soldiers around. He informed Thorneburg. Thorneburg tried to inform his base that he was under attack, but it was too late. The enemy soldiers started to shoot at Nemo and him. Thorneburg let Nemo go and started to fire back at the enemy soldiers. Nemo would alert Thorneburg when there was another enemy soldier. But during all this, Thorneburg and Nemo were both hit. Thorneburg was hit in the shoulder. Nemo was shot in the nose. This affected his eye, but Nemo didn’t stop fighting. He went to attack the enemy soldier. This gave enough time for Thorneburg to call for help. After Thorneburg called for help, he became unconscious. Nemo crawled to his handler and laid on top of him. This was to protect his handler from harm. When the other soldiers were able to come, Nemo would not move off of THorneburg. This is because Nemo was trained to stay with his handler and keep him safe. But a former handler was able to remove Nemo. They both got medical help and survived this event. Nemo’s right eye was taken out. Thorneburg’s shoulder never fully healed. Thorneburg and Nemo were reunited in a hospital. This was the last time they would ever see each other. Soon after, Nemo was retired. He had a kennel in Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio. This is where he later passed away, at the age of 11 years old. His kennel is kept there as a memorial to him.

Resources:

https://nuclear.duke-energy.com/2017/11/07/a-soldier-and-the-dog-that-saved-his-life

Stubby

            Stubby, one of the most famous war dogs. Stubby was said to be a Pitbull mix. But there are still disagreements about what type of breed Stubby was. He was an abandoned dog, found wandering on Yale University campus. The soldiers, in training, took a liking to her. Later on, the soldiers were deployed to France. Stubby ended up going with them. We aren’t informed on how he got there. But it is said that Cpl. John Robert Conroy snuck Stubby on to the ship. When Stubby was found, he was able to stay on the ship. This was because when the captain of the ship found him, he saluted to him. Stubby had his heroic moments, while in France. One time, Stubby was able to save an entire division. He had located a German spy, but this was not his only talent.  He was also able to learn how to find bombs and inform the soldier about them. Stubby ran through the trenches, to inform the soldiers if there was going to be a gas attack. He would go out into no-man’s land and stand by the injured soldiers. He didn’t only alert the soldiers of bombs and gas attacks. He also gave the soldiers comfort and support. But Stubby was not always the easiest dog to take care of. He would wander off for weeks, but would always come back. The soldiers would worry about where he was off to, but he would always come back. Even when the soldiers were moving around, Stubby was able to find then. He even found his way back, after being ‘adopted’ by a French soldier. Stubby had successful exploits. But he did not escape without any wounds. He even got gassed. But in 1926, Stubby passed away, in Conroy’s arms. He is not forgotten though. He is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. There was a movie that came out called “Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero”.

Resources:

https://www.militarytimes.com/2017/06/07/stubby-s-story-all-about-the-iconic-world-war-i-war-dog-and-star-of-an-upcoming-animated-film/

Smoky

            Smoky (Yorkshire Terrier) was the tiniest war dog that has ever served. Her story starts in a jungle, in New Guinea. The soldiers heard some noises and went to go look for what was making the noise. They found Smoky in a foxhole. Her name became Smoky because of her grey, smoke-like fur. The soldier that found her ended up selling her to Corporal William A. Wynne from Ohio. The reason the soldier sold Smoky was because he needed money for poker. Wynne accepted the dog and started training her. He trained Smoky to dance and sing. She would keep the soldiers entertained. She would even go visit hospitals and entertain the injured soldiers. Smoky was a good distraction for the soldiers. But this doesn’t mean that she wasn’t serious about her job. One of Smoky’s famous exploits was on Philippine Island. Smoky pulled a telegraph wire through a small 70-foot pipe. This saved construction time and kept the workers and engineers safe. This was only one of exploits that Smoky did. She also participated in 12 combat missions, survived a Typhoon, survived over 150 air raids, and parachuted from 30 feet in the air. The parachute was made for her. But in 1957, Smoky unexpectedly died. She did not die alone, she was in Wynne’s arms when she passed. The life that Smoky lived was not an easy one, but she was always loyal to her owner and the soldiers. To this day, Smoky is not forgotten. She has a memorial, located in Cleveland Metroparks.

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