War Dog Memorial

Bougainville - 1943

Last year we barked about our paw-fathers and paw-mutters that served in the Great War (WW I). This Veterans Day we bark about those that served in the South Pacific during WW II. The official US Marine dog during WW II was the Doberman Pinscher. Their first action was during the landing as Bougainville on 1 November 1943. These Devil Dogs detected mines, went on patrol, performed sentry duty and sniffed out the enemy. They saw combat on Saipan, Iwo Jima, Guam and Okinawa.

The 2nd and 3rd Marine Platoons on Guam used more War Dogs than all the other areas of combat in the Pacific. While during their duty on Guam 25 of our paw-fathers crossed the rainbow bridge in 1944. One Devil Dog named Kurt saved the lives of 250 soldiers when he alerted them to Japanese troops. Most of these dogs were buried in the Marine cemetery and marked by simple concrete graves that were each indented with the dog’s profile.

Marine and wounded Dobe
Guam - 1944

Guam War Dog Cemetery - 1944

At the wars end 549 dogs remained. Military Brass argued these dogs were killers unfit to return. They were wrong. The Devil Dogs were detrained and only four found unfit to return to civilian life.

War Dog Memorial

Fifty years later a new War Dog Memorial was dedicated to those dogs that never left Guam. The inscription on the memorial reads as follows:

25 Marine War Dogs gave their lives liberating Guam in 1944. They served as sentries, messengers, scouts. They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps.
SEMPER FIDELIS.

Kurt--------Yonnie------Koko-------Bunkie
Skipper---Poncho-----Tubby-----Hobo
Ni-----------Prince------Fritz--------Emmy
Missy------Cappy------Duke-------Max
Blitz--------Arno---------Silver------Brockie
Bursch----Pepper-----Ludwig----Rickey
Tam (buried at sea off Asan Point)

Given in their memory and on behalf of the surviving men of the 2nd and 3rd marine war dogs platoons, many of whom owe their lives to the bravery and sacrifice of these gallant animals.