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. In order 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 18 battles.
The loud noise of the bombs and gun fire did not bother him. He was never
content to stay in the trenches but went out 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, 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 halftime 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 medal
for service to his country. It 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. 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.
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