'The most difficult part of getting to the top of ladder is getting through the crowd at the bottom.' I thought this bit of history is truly heart-warming.
SGT. STUBBY - The War Dog Hero
Meet
America's first war dog, a stray Pit Bull/Terrier mix, named Stubby.
He became Sgt. Stubby, was the most decorated war dog of World War I
and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat.
One
day he appeared at Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticut; while a group
of soldiers were training, stopping to make friends with soldiers as
they drilled. One soldier, Corporal Robert Conroy, developed a fondness
for the dog. He named him Stubby because of his short legs. When it
became time for the outfit to ship out, Conroy hid Stubby on board the
troop ship. to keep the dog, the private taught him to salute his
commanding officers warming their hearts to him.
Stubby
served with the 102nd Infantry, 26th (Yankee) Division in the trenches
in France for 18 months and participated in four offensives and some18
battles. The loud noise of the bombs and gun fire did not bother him.
He was never content to just stay in the trenches but eagerly went out,
searched and found wounded soldiers.
Stubby
entered combat on February 5, 1918 at Chemin Des Dames, north of
Soissons, and was under constant fire, day and night for over a month.
In April 1918, during a raid to take Schieprey, Stubby was wounded in
the foreleg by the retreating Germans throwing hand grenades. He was
sent to the rear for convalescence, and as he had done on the front was
able to improve morale. When he recovered from his wounds, Stubby
returned to the trenches.
After
being gassed and nearly dying himself, Stubby learned to warn his unit
of poison gas attacks, continued to locate wounded soldiers in no
man's land, and since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery
shells before humans could, he became very adept at letting his unit
know when to duck for cover.
He
was solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne. The
spy made the mistake of speaking German to him when they were alone.
Stubby knew he was no ally and attacked him biting and holding on to
him by the seat of his pants until his comrades could secure him.
Following
the retaking of Chateau-Thierry by the US, the thankful women of the
town made Stubby a chamois coat on which were pinned his many medals.
There is also a legend that while in Paris with Corporal Conroy, Stubby
saved a young girl from being hit by a car. At the end of the war,
Conroy smuggled Stubby home.
After
returning home, Stubby became a celebrity and marched in and normally
led, many parades across the country. He met Presidents Woodrow Wilson,
Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding. Starting in 1921, he attended
Georgetown University Law Center with Conroy, and became the Georgetown
Hoyas' team mascot. He would be given the football at half-time and
would nudge the ball around the field to the amusement of the fans.
Stubby
was made a life member of the American Legion, the Red Cross and the
YMCA. In 1921, the Humane Education Society awarded him a special gold
metal for his service to his country. The medal was presented by
General John Pershing.
In
1926, Stubby died in Conroy's arms. His remains are featured in "The
Price of Freedom: Americans at War" exhibit at the Smithsonian in
Washington DC. Stubby was honored with a brick in the Walk of Honor at
the United States World War I monument, Liberty Memorial, in Kansas
City at a ceremony held on Armistice Day, November 11, 2006.
Amused
