|
|
AGREKA
BOOKS • Home About Us
Book List
Precious Pets Historical
Society Books
Art Dept
|
|
|
|
|
.
More
on Page 2
Page for Google, Yahoo, MSN
Dedication In honor of our canine war heroes and forgotten service animals.
A few years ago I read, with great interest, and sadness, the story of the war dogs of Vietnam. Although they were responsible for saving the lives of many American soldiers, they were forgotten by our government at the end of the war, and cast aside as nothing more than equipment. I vowed to herald the silent voices of these courageous and forgotten animal heroes through education and the promotion of memorials and commemorative postage stamps. Mine is but a small voice, yet a voice, for the thousands of service animals that have sacrificed their lives, in silence, for our freedom during times of war. These are the silent voices that must be heard. Many people have asked me if I have personally interviewed war dog handlers. The answer is yes. But they were too disheartened to revive the tragic events of their canine companions. So in respect to them I use the stories that others have been fortunate enough to hear. And I share them with those that have chosen to remain silent. May America listen. . .
The Dogs of War by Alan Cunningham
Click back cover for full image. In the course of the Vietnam War an estimated ten thousand American potential casualties (or seventeen per cent of the total fifty-eight thousand American fatalities) were prevented as a result of the four thousand canine soldiers. Only two hundred sixty-one dog handlers were killed in action. In many instances the dogs prevented soldiers from triggering a booby trap or stepping on a land mine. They also alerted their handlers to hidden enemy soldiers as far as a thousand yards away. The canine warriors detected underwater saboteurs by the smell of their breath from the reeds they used as snorkels. Some dogs even covered their handlers with their own bodies to protect them from gunfire and shrapnel, while losing their own lives in return. Former dog handler, Charlie Cargo, tells of the day his dog Wolf, a German Shepherd, refused to allow him to proceed any further up the trail. "I looked straight ahead and not more than two feet away was a trip wire. I would have died right there if he hadn’t found the wire." The amazing stories of canines saving American soldiers in Vietnam goes on and on. From 1960 to 1975 Vietnam became one of the longest and most unpopular wars ever fought by the American armed forces. Unfortunately many of our heroic soldiers returned home abandoned and unrecognized. And much like their human counterparts, many of the Vietnam canine veterans also received a different kind of homecoming. Fewer than two hundred of the four thousand canine soldiers were returned home. Of the tens of thousands of missions logged by the four thousand American war dogs in Vietnam, some three hundred twenty-five died in the line of duty, while approximately six hundred succumbed to tropical disease. The team was so effective that the Viet Cong offered a bounty for dead dogs or their handlers. What happened to the remaining seventy-two percent of these heroic
dogs?
Section 1: Vietnam war Dogs The Dogs of War The Bridge Mr. Paper Bruiser Buck War Dog History Ceremony to Salute Canines in Combat They saved Soldiers’ lives, and were often left behind. These heroes are soldier’s best friend A Tribute to the War Dogs of the United States Military When You Think of Liberty, Think of Me Section 2: Canine Soldiers Today The K-9 Corps Song Treatment of War Dogs Today War Dog Memorial Fund Injured war vet, dog starting over again Search-dog teams head to Iraq on 30-day mission War Dog: (The 2005 Christmas Story)– from a dog’s point of view Honor Our Military Scout Dogs Section 3: What We Can Do To Honor The War Animals Together Forever Ten Thousand Voices Honoring 4-legged War Heroes War Dog Memorial Letter of the Week Cry ‘havoc’ and let slip the dogs of war Letter from Sunset View Elementary Remembering war dogs: Monument heralds important work canines did in past conflicts Promote war dog memorials Benjamin K. Smith, SrA, USAF Weston Woodbury – Dog Trainer Letters Just a Dog Goodbye My Good Friend Simple Things Rainbow Bridge About the Author Grief Counseling Pet Loss Support Hotlines Top
He graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor
of Science in Animal Science and a Masters Degree in Respiratory Health Care
Science. He also graduated from Utah State University with a Ph.D. in physiology
and later from Oregon State University with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.
He also obtained his degree from medical school at the University of
Health Sciences Antigua.
Photo courtesy of Peter Luque. Dr. Cunningham is the author of many books, all of which you can read about in Precious Pets. Currently he works as a veterinarian at a nighttime emergency clinic. He also volunteers and heads the Utah pet loss hotline as a certified pet loss grief counselor. In addition he volunteers as an advocate for "end of life choices" for humans. He is the recipient of Best of State Utah 2004 for his work as a veterinarian in pet loss and grief support.
Photo courtesy of Peter Luque. Unfortunately, they were denied. These soldiers desperately want to pay tribute to the War Dogs of Vietnam with commemorative postage stamps and memorials. The postmaster general has denied this request twice and presently a third push is on for a commemorative war dog stamp. Dr. Cunningham urges citizens to write their congressman in behalf of these heroic canine soldiers. Read more on Dr. Cunningham.
Resources to help with pet loss |
|
Dr. Alan B. Cunningham donated the money for sculptor
Mark Davenport to build a
War Dog Statute at Utah Veterans Park.
Furthermore, he actively campaigns for a commemorative
postage stamp and national war memorial for the War Dogs in Vietnam. These
valiant warriors gave their lives to save American Soldiers. Nearly 4,000 canine
soldiers fought in Vietnam but less than 200 returned stateside. Most were left
behind to an uncertain future with the South Vietnamese or euthanized. Many of
the dog handlers requested to bring them home because they owed their lives to
their canine soldier counterparts. |
|
Site Map |
|
|
|