National K9 Veterans Day, March 13, is a day set aside to honor and commemorate the service and sacrifices of American military and working dogs throughout history.
War dogs or military dogs have been around for centuries worldwide. The Unites States had an unofficial canine war force in World War I, but military dogs did not become officially recognized until March 13, 1942, when a private organization, Dogs for Defense was established to recruit the public’s dogs for the U.S. military’s Dog Program, known as the K-9 Corps. Another key supplier of war dogs was the Doberman Pinscher Club of America, which quickly became linked with the U.S. Marines. The Dobes became an ace with the Marines and were given a rank, beginning as privates.
Prominent breeders and trainers were instrumental in appealing to the American public to donate its pet dogs in the war effort. The profile included specific breeds, either sex, between 1-5 years old, and physically fit. The donors were given a certificate as a means of thanks for their “patriotic duty.” Those dogs that passed their training were sent into the battle from foxholes to beach fronts, where they were utilized for messenger, mine-detection, sentry and scout duties. Approximately 18,000 dogs were used in World War II.
During the Korean War the K-9s again began their work. They were chiefly deployed on combat night patrol and were detested by the North Koreans and Chinese because of their ability to ambush sniper, penetrate enemy lines and scent out enemy positions. It reached a point where reports noted the foes were using loud speakers saying, “Yankee, take your dog and go home.”
Despite the success of the canines on night patrol, the shuttling around of training duties on the home front resulted in only one Army scout-dog platoon seeing service in Korea. The Air Force utilized dogs there, chiefly for patrolling air base perimeters and guarding bomb dumps and supply areas.
In the Vietnam War the canines had a totally new environment and job description. They had to deal with the thick vegetation, continued rain, subsequent mud and plenty of challenging heat and humidity. The enemy hated our dogs. When the mortars hit, they went first to the ammo tent and second to the dog kennel. The dogs walked sentry and alerted troops to many Viet Cong ambushes. An estimated 4,000 dogs and 9,000 military-handlers served in Vietnam. Their duties were widespread – scout, sentry, patrol mine and booby-trap detection, water and combat. Like their predecessors in Korea, these dogs were so hated by the Viet Cong that they attracted a $20,000 bounty for their capture.
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While they were not officially awarded any medals for their work, many service men pinned their Purple Hearts and other awards on them. They saved hundreds of our troops and deserve our praise and thanks.