Happy Memorial Day to Everyone!
Animals have been instrumental and continue to play major rolls in American wars. They have been credited with saving many lives, however they have repeatedly received the short end of the stick afterwards. Here are some interesting facts I didn’t know about animals and wars.
- Numerous different species of animals have been apart of war. Some include:
- Dogs, elephants, horses, camels, donkeys, pigeons, glowworms, dolphins and many, many more.
- War dogs come in many sizes and breed and are assign to a wide range of different duties. Here are some of those roles:
- Sentry Dogs
- Scout or Patrol Dogs
- Messenger Dogs
- Mine Dogs
- Casualty Dogs
- Tunnel Dogs
- Explosives Detection
- Single-Purpose Dogs
- Explosive Detector Dog (EDD)
- Narcotics Detector Dog (NDD)
- Specialized Search Dog (SSD)
- Combat Tracker Dog (CTD)
- Mine Detector Dog (MDD)
- Tactical Explosive Detector Dog (TEDD)
- IED Detctor Dog (IDD)
- Dual-Purpose Dogs
- Multi-Purpose Dogs
- Military dogs can develop PTSD.
- Some signs include: hyper-vigilance, increased startle response, attempts to run away or escape, withdrawal, changes in rapport with a handler, and problems performing trained tasks.
- During the Vietnam War, more than 4,000 dogs served in various positions with the United States military forces. Though their scouting and sentry duties, it is believed that these dogs saved up to 10,000 American servicemen. The number of dogs killed in action has been tallied at 232, while 295 dog handlers were also killed during the war. By the end of the conflict, only about 200 dogs returned to the United States, the rest were either euthanize or given to the South Vietnamese who, reportedly, did not know how to handle them. These dogs were considered “a surplus of war.
- Now, every military working dog is brought back to the states, retired, and placed up for adoption (90%). There are only two reasons military dogs would be put down, terminal illness or extreme aggression.
History By Zim shares a series called “Animals in War” where they share many unknown stories and photos of heroic animals. I encourage you to check out some of the stories and let them know Spencer sent you!
Hope you all have a safe a wonderful Memorial Day and thank you to all those who have payed the ultimate sacrifice.
Sources:
History.com Staff, “War Animals From Horses to Glowworms: 7 incredible Facts“, December 22, 2011
Mike Dowling, “The 9 Biggest Myths About Military Working Dogs,” February 9, 2015
History By Zim, “Animals in War: “Lobo,” Vietnam,” February 1, 2013
