Unlike many other countries, when the United States entered World War II, they didn’t have a canine corps. But the military came to believe that dogs would prove an asset, so in 1942 a war dog program was introduced. Since the country was already at war, the military needed a large number of dogs right away, so they asked Americans to volunteer their pet dogs for service in the Army, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard.
In the beginning, they accepted almost any kind of medium- to larger-size dog, but they eventually found that some breeds were better for service than others and limited the accepted breeds mainly to German Shepherds, Belgian Sheep Dogs, Doberman Pinschers, Farm Collies, Giant Schnauzers, Airedale Terriers, Rottweilers, Huskies, Malamutes, Eskimo dogs and mutts that were predominantly any of those breeds.
Americans volunteered almost 20,000 of their beloved pets, but only about half of that number were accepted and trained. Of those, only around 2,000 were finally sent overseas; the rest were used stateside.
The vast majority of dogs the military accepted were trained as sentry dogs. These dogs were used as guard dogs at various types of military installations and by the Coast Guard to patrol shorelines. Also highly valued, by both the Army and the Marines, were scout dogs. These dogs went ahead of patrols and silently alerted their handlers if they sensed anyone nearby.
There were other types of dogs trained by the military, but they were used less than sentry and scout dogs. These included sled and pack dogs, mine detection dogs, and messenger dogs.
After the war ended, the dogs were “demilitarized” and taught to socialize and act like normal dogs again. Dogs that successfully completed that process were sent back to their original owners—if the owners still wanted them. If the dogs were unwanted, they were either adopted by their former handlers or sold to new families. Want to see these war dogs? On Fold3, you can find a few photos of WWII’s canine soldiers and the men who worked with them:
- A photo of “Ricky,” half collie, half shepherd, of the 6th War Dog Platoon, crawling into mouth of a cave on Iwo Jima
- A photo of a Huskie sled team helping to rescue the crew of a downed Douglas C-47 in Alaska
- A photo of Casimir P. “Casey” Gorajec of the U.S. Army’s Canine Corps in New Caledonia
Learn more about Word War II topics in Fold3’s World War II Collection!
The first war dogs of WWII were given to the Army in the Phillipines, after Pearl Harbor, by a woman who raised and trained standard poodles. The breed is very intelligent and easy to train, can be loyal to a whole group of men, and their keen intelligence makes them great alert dogs for the perimeter of bases or warehouses. However, the Army found they weren’t always the best attack dogs because their disposition wasn’t usually vicious.
However, Napoleon had a large poodle war dog. He let his dog’s hair grow, then had it combed out to make the dog appear even larger in stature. He used this dog when he attacked the Russians to help lead the French troops. The Russians shot at the dog, always missing, because the extended hair was a great camouflage. The didn’t understand why it didn’t die. The French color bearer was shot and the poodle picked up the colors and carried them into battle. The French soldiers loved the dog who bonded to all of them. When they returned to France, a statute was built in Paris to honor “Moustache,” the French war dog.
Poodles are extremely loyal. They they are as fast as greyhounds because they are built the same, long legs, lean, and deep chested for good air capacity. They really aren’t French dogs, they are German water retrievers and the fussy haircut was purposely developed by their trainers for their work retrieving water fowl.
John West ran teams of standard poodles in the Iditarod for about eight years. While they did well, they don’t have a double (winter) coat which was the final deciding factor to not run them in such a extreme climate.
They are the only dog where all three sizes, toy, miniature, and standard, are genetically identical. The bred is so old that they are shown on Trajan’s column in Rome.
From my research on the web before I got my first poodle. Best dog I’ve ever had and, by far, the smartest and best mannered.
Laura Ellene Tynes
I have a standard poodle Jacque 6 years old. I have had many wonderful dogs but he is so unique! He learned to surf too. Very athletic. A parti.poodle. White with brown spots!
I had 2 black standard poodles who owned me. Cera lived to be 16 and her son Nick passed away at 14. Missed then so much that our daughter found Pogie-another black standard who is now convinced that humans were created to take care of him!
This information is fascinating to me .. thanks for posting it. 🙂
Amazing and very interesting .. thanks for posting. 🙂
We searched & searched for a Koenig Poodle. Sometimes referred to as Royal Standard or King Standard. We found a breeder in Stamford CT and the largest of the litter of 8 pups picked us !! At 2 months he was 20lbs and reached 105lbs 18 months later. He was jet black. He was big. He had what could only be described as “Royal” stance. He was beautiful. We named him Tyrone. Every night I would return home sometime between 6 & 7PM but my wife knew I was a few minutes away because Tyrone would get up from his ‘spot’ in the Kitchen where he would watch her preparing dinner, and walk to the front door. Sure enough I would walk in within 5 minutes. He was indeed the epitome of the name “TYRONE” ! Smart. Easily trained. Protective. And the most loving creature you could ever imagine. Our daughter & son would ride him until he decided that they were getting too heavy for him to enjoy the experience. He is gone 23 years and we still chuckle about his antics. He was definitely our 3rd child ! Please don’t tell our kids – but he was our favorite child !
Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. :-))
Loved the story, Laura. You know (and love) your poodles. Now we do too. JM
Our first dog after marriage was a standard poodle. He was already named “Toby”. He lived 18 years and was considered a great dog. He loved baseball. The neighborhood kids would let him out of the yard and he would run for the ball when it went too far.
Smart, with the best temperament I ever seen in any dog.
He would never hurt anyone no matter what.
Jim
I went through High School with a black standard poodle named Mimi…named for the Chevalier song. She belonged to our favourite Teacher, and actually FOLLOWED THE BELLS. When the first bell rang, she’d stand by the door, and wait until we were seated, Then, she’d go to each one of us, and touch “nose to knee”. (It was a small school, with about 12 students per section) After the greeting, she would lie down by the desk, and learn History until the exit signal of two bells. I knew her from 8th through 12th grades, and I know she was there at least 3 years after I graduated, Mimi was a very wise dog, with a very deep heart, and I miss her still..
Sounds like a GREAT dog 🙂
I have noticed our poodles (one miniature, two standard) always touch their nose to whomever they’re greeting.
It’s a poodle thing, I surmise.
My father had one dog when he was growing up, a German Shepard named, Buddy. When we asked what happened to Buddy, he told us that the Army took him. My father never had another dog his entire life. Since he died, I found a photo of Buddy that I had never seen. Are there any records tracking these donated dogs?
I live in Bermuda and during World War II we acquired an Irish Terrier whom we named “Chips”. He came here from Boston, where the sailors stole him, on a Greek ship with a huge list. Initially he walked sideways but soon became a very loving pet. He only needed to be corrected once for any misdeed. We lived close to a home for elderly ladies and when he went there he greeted each lady in turn. He was struck by a motor cyclist and died of internal bleeding. On the night of his death he tried to get to the home to bid farewell to the ladies. Naturally we will always miss him but our memories of him are very happy.
Sad to hear about Chips. I know how much you must miss him. My husband and I have not been without a Bull Terrier throughout our 40 year marriage. Miss Posy is asleep in his rocker/recliner as I write this. I don’t know what we would do without a Bull Terrier. Our precious babies.
My family “donated” Dutch to the Marine Corps. He was a Doberman and served in the Pacific then came back to be my gentle babysitter. How can I find out more about his service???
Fort Robinson, Nebraska was a major Coast Guard training center for WW2 War Dogs, and my husband’s father learned to train his German Shepherd dogs there in 1942-43. Check out their website to learn a lot more about the War Dog program, and to see several pictures of interest.
My mother’s family had a dog, Cinders, that was donated for duty. We have a certificate from the War Department expressing appreciation for “…your patriotic action in donating your dog…”.
She was returned to the family at the end of the war; Mom remembers being told that she had worked with the Coast Guard. I also have a picture (was published in the Brigeport Post, 1946) taken of all of the family males who had participated in WWII, with Cinders in the picture!
I hadn’t known about this. Very interesting. I can’t imagine knowingly & voluntarily sending my pet off to war. Thank you for sharing it. I’ve included your post in my Noteworthy Reads post for this week: http://jahcmft.blogspot.com/2015/06/noteworthy-reads-17.html
I was 11-12 at the time and considered sending my dog, Rex, half German shepherd, half Chow, off to war but could not part with him. He lived a long and happy life and used to accompany our postman on his rounds to protect him from other dogs. He was poisoned by a “neighbor” for doing his job too well, and I still have a picture of him someplace.
[…] June 12, 2015 by Trevor | 8 Comments […]
My Father’s dog Chic who was a German Pointer was recruited into the service by “Dogs for Defence Inc” in 1942. From her home in Oakland, CA she was then sent to the War Dog Reception and Training Center in San Carlos, Ca for basic training and from there, sent to one of the branches of service. She served for 3 years and returned home for debriefing and was then sent back to my Dad’s Family. They were very proud of her, yet they never knew where she had served. I’d love to know if there’s a muster list by name of these canines that shows where they were deployed?
When I was about 4 we got a German Shepherd to train for WWII. His name was
Tige. We had him 2 years and then military men came to the house to see
if he was gun shy. I was hoping he would be, but he wasn’t and they had
to put chains around him to get him in the back seat of their car. Some years
later we received a letter of commendation for his outstanding service.
We were never given the option of taking him back. I have read that there
are cemeteries for these dogs, but I have been unable to find Tige.
Sandra, I just read your message asking if there are cemeteries for the Military Dogs. I. Believe there are only two of them in the United States. The one in Michigan, that I have gone to a few funerals myself and I believe the other one is in New York. I don’t know about the other cemetery, but here in Michigan they must be cremated. They get a full military funeral. Posting of the flags, by the American Leagion, a Military Chiplin says a prayer, someone reads about where the dog has served, how long in service, how many tours of duty among other things. They present a folded flag to the handler, play taps, and instead of of a 21 gun salute, they have a K9 salute– in case you don’t know what that is, it’s a group of about 6 dogs that get in a semi- circle around the table where the box of the cremations are and for about 15 seconds the howl! Trust me that’s just as heart breaking to hear as the riffles shooting. It usually ends with a bag piper playing Amazing Grace- he plays through the song on e then he starts again and as he plays he walks away so it the sound continues to fade as he walks. It truely is an amazing truibute to these wonderful Hero’s! After all they too as soldiers– as I often refer to them our “4 Legged Soldiers”
Many people in Michigan are not aware that our governor has signed a proclamation for March 13 to be know as K-9 Vererans Day to honor them. A day that they deserve!
If you have any questions please feel free to email me!
You may wonder how I know all this, it’s because I founded an orgization in which I support them, by sending special care packages just for them!
Thanks for sharing the info. Do you have any idea how to get a listing of the dogs that are in the cemeteries? If one doesn’t know the path of their service, is it recorded some place? Thank you so much for the info. Sandra
Sandra,
There is another war dog cemetery. It is on Guam. See “National War Dog Cemetery” in Wikipedia. These dogs were originally located in a simple cemetery after the war. My father was stationed at the Naval Air Station in the early 1950’s and we lived there for 1-1/2 years. I have a photograph of the cemetery as it originally looked before it was relocated.
William Putney wrote a book “Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII” about the experiences of training war dogs and de-training them when they were returned to their owners. As a veterinarian, he started war dog training facility at Camp Pendleton and commanded one of the war dog platoons on Guam. His book is very moving in its description of the relationship between the dog and his/her handler.
He had a significant influence of moving the dog cemetery from its original location in the boondocks to the Naval Base and the creation of the dog sculpture called Always Faithful located there.
There is also information about this cemetery in http://www.findagrave.com The memorial ID is Find A Grave Memorial# 14798700
LOVED this story, made me cry to think of giving up the family dog to join the service. But I know I would be proud if one of them was ours.
I have old WWII photos my father took that include dogs sitting on or near military equipment on Saipan and Iwo Jima. I had always supposed they were someone’s pets, but perhaps they were service dogs.
My uncle told a story of fishing a little white terrier out of the sea after the Leyte Battle. The sailors on his ship decided he must have come off a sunk Japanese ship and they called him Tojo, now I wonder if he was a service dog.
This got me looking for the story my uncle told about ‘Tojo’. My uncle served on the USS Hamlin, so I went on Fold3 and looked for the cruise books and found the ship and lo-and-behold, Tojo. http://www.fold3.com/image/251/301710829/ Amazing what you can find…
Not to be a stickler, but you need a better proofreader. Your subject line reads “Dogs roles in …” but it should read “Dogs’ roles in …”. Otherwise, the subject line makes no sense.
I have a professional proofreader. She saves her clients both significant embarrassment and a distinct loss of their business image.
The standard poodle we have (apricot markings) is by far the best behaved, most loving and smart dog that our family has ever had. She responds to many words as if she really knows English. Spooky poodle !!
Many an Army Air Corps Squadron adopted local stray dogs as mascots and morale boosters. Sometimes Officers or enlisted men personally adopted a dog, and shared him with his buddies. Many times these dogs went on bombing missions with the men, and yes, sometimes the dogs were killed in action with their owners. One such story is of PFC Scrappy, KIA with the entire 5 man crew of a B-25. Here is the link to PFC Scrappy’s owner’s Find A Grave memorial, with a photo of little PFC Scrappy: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=shapiro&GSfn=leonard&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=3306005&df=all&
The story and names of 30 war dogs buried and memorialized in the War Dog Cemetery at Orote Point, Guam are included in my book The Foreign Burial of American War Dead. Fold 3 carries links to the names of all Americans still buried abroad in non-ABMC cemeteries since 1804, and the dogs, listed in the book’s appendices. Also see
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/war-dogs-of-guam/?smid=tw-nytimesatwar&seid=auto&_r=0
I have had five standard poodles since 1990 and each of them have been superb dogs as many of you described. My current poodle is a therapy dog who goes everywhere with me. “Grizzly” is eleven months old, incredibly intelligent, loving, and social: He loves just about everyone but most especially ladies and children. His attentiveness to my needs seemed to be natural for him. He’s coal black, hair soft and curly, and weighs about 43 lbs. The runt of his mother’s first litter, his sire weighed over 90 lbs. To be sure he is beautiful, knows it and loves to strut, and a wonderful companion.
Member 40th inf plt scout dog 3 bdg 25 div view bam 1968. Name thunder sn x202kept me alive for that tour.
We had a collie named “Lucky” who was a guard dog at a prisoner-of-war camp in Colorado. (I think it was for Japanese detainees) He was returned to us after. I was born in 1042 and he became my guard dog when I was put outdoors for my afternoon nap in the fresh air.
My father told me of a friend oh his that donated a German Shepard to the war effort. When he was returned at the end of the war he was listed as a Sargent. The dog never totally adjusted to his original family and eventually was returned to the Army
Look up the Vietnam Dog Handlers Association.
Lots of good information about ‘our’ dogs.
Robert
How did this turn in to a discussion about poodles? While poodles were trained and recommended for military service, they were dropped from the list because their use was impractical. They are not an agressive breed, but mostly their fast growing coat was a problem, for if not maintained it would mat.
My thought is could you imagine the enemy? “Oh no!, the U.S. has sent in the poodles!” Ridiculous!
Personally, I’ve known folks who have had poodles, and they weren’t very bright dogs – nervous, skittish, and clumsy. One in particular would walk into walls on a regular basis.
I’m glad you all are happy with your poodles. Look up The Far Side and his dead-on depiction of the breed – he says it best.
Have a nice day!
I am in tears and yet smiling at these posted stories about the love and devotion between canines and humans. It compels me to relate a story about the enemy and myself and my so much beloved German Shepard ‘KELO’. On my return from the first gulf war I received a telegram from the international Red Cross. I was asked if I would sponsor an Iraqi
P O W that had been in the P O W camp in which I was the senior enlisted engineer. I sponsored him and brought him to America as a member of my family. Within a short time he had poisoned Kelo with D-CON rodenticide. The story has been brief due to all of it being told would set my tears to flow like a river yet again. Kelo is buried on a hillside outside my home, he is talked to along with my other canine and feline companions at a minimum of twice daily, every day. That took place twenty two years ago, I burn with anger and shall never forget Kelo, or the S O B Iraqi.
I thought you’d be interested to know that during WWII, among the places where military service dogs were trained was the community of San Carlos, CA, on the San Francisco Peninsula. Interestingly, I only found out about the dogs having been trained here because I have me a couple whose property is the land on which their
training took place. I believe there are some photos in the San Carlos History Museum.
My dog, Pal, served his country in Germany. When he retired, he returned home. I was only four years old. He was a German shepherd and was loving to children, but would let no one even get near our front yard. I still have his portrait and his honorable discharge papers. My parents kept a blue star in the window while Pal was overseas.
Thank you for sharing the story of these remarkable dogs of WWII. Throughout US history, no matter how warfare has changed, one aspect of the American soldier’s experience has not, and that is the relationship between soldiers and their dogs. During the Civil War, before dogs had an official role, they usually accompanied soldiers as personal companions or mascots. Their presence helped soldiers withstand the loneliness and rigors of campaigning and the stress and horrors of combat. As dogs were assigned military duties in later wars, this relationship with their soldiers continued to remain an important part of their service. Today, in the 21st century, highly trained Military Working Dogs have the important job of protecting American soldiers from IEDs and other threats, yet the emotional bond between soldier and dog remains as important as ever to soldiers’ morale. No wonder soldiers never forget their faithful dogs. A dog is indeed a soldier’s best friend, and there is something enduring and eternal in that bond.
My father brought a doberman back with him from the war.He was a Marine( Is a Marine .Once a Marine always a Marine).They smuggled him back some how.That’s where my love for the breed came from.We had them growing up ever since.
I grew up with dogs, I have always had a dog. My entire family are dog lovers. Right now we have 3 dogs, all rescue. I can’t imagine what it would be like to send a loved pet to war. These are incredible stories. Thank all of you for your gift.
I keep hearing how Poodles are no good as guard dogs because they aren’t vicious enough but this is a load of bull crap. They are likely the most intelligent breed but any dog(unless it is sick or damaged), regardless of breed, will defend those it loves. As with the poodle, it is many, so they make excellent troop guards as told by Laura (bless you) regarding Napoleon’s poodle. I had a five pound toy poodle stand up on its two hind legs and come at a teenager like a bear to protect me when she thought I was going to be attacked by my son’s friend who was playfighting near me. I later had a pitbull/golden retriever named Age, twice, when I was being somewhat threatened by obtuse teenagers (mine), stand on his hind legs, put his paws on the kid’s shoulders and force them to look him in the eye, moving his head side to side as they tried to eyeball and interact with me. He didn’t growl but he scared them enough with his determination to stop their line of thought which both he and I believed was to hit me! I look forward to seeing him in Heaven and cry over him weekly. He was poisoned by a local RCMP “officer”. They hate any and all bull dog types up here in Canada, including rottweilers, boxers, etc., and Age definitely showed some pit bull. Best dog ever, ever. My grandson at 18 month of age squeezed his testicle until it swelled to the size of a grapefruit. I had no idea what was going on until one day I heard Age scream in agony & discovered the huge testicle. He had never growled at the toddler, never bitten him, just finally cried out. I had to have him neutered as the vet felt the testicle could turn cancerous. He was 13 when he was murdered but still like a pup, best guard dog ever born. Saved numerous lives, true.
I served two tours in Vietnam as a Scout Dog Handler. Go to http://www.vdha.us, and see what our Government did to the War Dogs that served in Vietnam, it is an embarrassment that they abandoned them. It took a long time, but now military dogs can be adopted.
Mike, my husband served in the Marines 10 years during Vietnam with his dog, Baron, a Doberman Pinscher. After the war ended, my husband was able to bring Baron home with him. There was a lot of paperwork involved, but he did it. Baron, to his dying day was an obedient Marine. If you told Baron to sit and stay he you would find him hours later in the same spot and position as when you left. And he was so protective and loyal to his family. Baron was as smart, obedient, and loyal as they come. To this day, we have owned nothing but Dobermans because they, like Baron, are very dedicated, smart, and loyal animals.
True, a lot of good service dogs were left behind back then. While there were a lot of conditions which had to be met, there were ways to bring them back home. It wasn’t easy, but it could be done. I am just glad it is now easier for a soldier to bring his dog back stateside than it used to be and there are cemeteries to honor these furry fallen soldiers.
May be continue to learn from the past so we are not condemned to repeat it.
Deborah, dogs that served in Vietnam were not allowed to be adopted. Most of the dogs were euthanized or given to the South Vietnamese Army. Approximately 4,000 dogs served in Vietnam, and only approximately 150 of those were returned to the USA, and a small number were sent to bases in Japan, Okinawa, ect. The dogs in Vietnam were classified as equipment. The treatment of horses after WWWI, after the Calvary was disbanded, was also despicable. The horses were slaughtered.
Mike, I am not arguing most did not come home. I am just saying Baron was one of the few that was allowed to return stateside, but there were a lot of conditions attached to his return. I am just saying we were one of the few who was able to return our four-legged hero home and we couldn’t have asked for a better dog (or be better trained, for that matter.) What’s more, I have the discharge papers for both my husband and our dog. While I appreciate your honesty regarding the sad plight of most service animals overseas, I was just saying we were lucky enough to be blessed with one of very few exceptions. I like everyone else here love my dogs, but Baron held a very special place in our family-not only did he bring my husband home, but we were blessed to have known one of the greatest dogs ever.
I do not doubt what you say, just that I have not seen any documentation on any of the dogs coming back and given back to family.
If you would be kind enough to provide a copy of Baron s discharge I can see that that is reflective on our Web site.
Thank You for Making us aware of this and helping to correct our history.
I grew up in the 1940s and had a good friend who’s father served in Europe in WWII. After the war, the father and his dog came back together. My friend and I and the dog often played together. It was unique that the dog understood commands only in German. Those commands were about all I learned of that language.
We gave our dog in 1942 when living in Del Rio Texas. Dobie, a Doberman, was the first dog I owned but after discussion with my parents it was part of the War effort. We received a certificate. Although we were told we would not hear about the dog, my father received a photo of Dobie in Australia beach patrol. Since he was a newspaper publisher the military may have thought it would be good PR. Never heard anything else. The photos and certificates were burned in my parents house fire a number of years ago, but the memory remains.
I knew one of these WW2 dogs personally. He was a black Chow. His handler was the father of my best friend and was of German descent and spoke perfect German. He spoke to the dog in German. Thank God, they both came back after the war.
In 2013 our nations newest National Monument honoring military working dogs was dedicated. The U.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument honors K-9 soldiers and their handlers past, present and future. President George W. Bush authorized the monument signing it into law in 2008. This monument will ensure our K-9 soldiers are honored and remembered forever. Four veteran dog handlers were on the project Board of Directors: Larry Chilcoat, Richard Deggans, Kristie Dober and John Burnam. It is located on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The public and their dogs can visit the monument.
Our dog, Fido, a great hairy mix of colliie and lab, spent 1943 to 1945 in the army. We got a certificate saying that he had completed his basic training in the Canine Corp. We understood that he guarded POs in Colorado. We got him back after the war and he was the same old Fido – except he didn’t like to be petted by strangers and would growl softly at them. In the town of Woodstock, N.Y., he liked to lie in the middle of the main street and cars would simply, and with respect, drive around him. when we went to pick him up at the train station, he recognized the sound of our car before he could see us and began barking excitedly. He lived to be 14.
Your post was wonderful and recalled to my mind a Weimeraneur my father bought in Texas in the early fifties – drove all the way from Canada (SK) to pick him up. We named him Silver. Although Silver’s parents were German born he was American. He was a very good and incredibly smart animal who guarded my father’s equipment in the oil patch but was amazingly patient and warm with us kids and anyone related to us (how he knew they were is still a wonder to us). The only time he became almost uncontrollable was when he saw and heard someone in military type boots, including police or anyone with “those” black boots. We assumed his parents, like many Weimeraneurs who were used by Hitler in his war effort and grown to hate the military and that hate was in Silver’s DNA. Thank you for the great post.
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Wonderful reading. The quality of life is truly enriched by the love of a good dog!
Will pass this website on.
Thanks again AND again.
Fascinating information. As an animal lover/owner, I would never have donated my pet to war service, but admire the sacrifice.
Tiger,USMC,we trained at Camp LeJeune and served in the western Pacific and China. He returned to my parents home in Camden,NJ – 1945 and I returned in 1946. He died in 1952 . A German Shepherd,75 pounds and stood tall at 6 feet on his hind legs. He was given a full USMC burial. Semper fi.
How was Tiger obtained by you? Did you raise him? I am interested because
the German shepherd we raised was called Tige and we never found out where he went or what became of him. Thanks. Sandra Sowers
Tiger – German Shepherd – 75 pounds. We trained at Camp LeLejeune 1944 and served in the western Pacific and China. He returned to my parents’ home in 1945 and I in 1946. He died in 1952 and was buried as a Marine.
John,
I really enjoyed your comments about your war dog Tiger. I am so glad that he had a proper burial as a US Marine. God bless you and your family.
George Wallot
US Army vet, Vietnam era