C. Sue Furman, Ph.D.
Sergeant Stubby
We should honor our military personnel every day of the year but November 11 has been designated as a special day to remember those who have served and those who are serving. Our military men and women deserve special thanks as do the military dogs that serve with them. Today, teams of working dogs and handlers are trained at Lackland Air Force base near San Antonio. In WWI there was no program for military dogs but Stubby, a Boston Bull Terrier, became famous for his service to the troops.
Stubby was befriended by Private J. Robert Conroy who noticed him wandering around Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticut where soldiers were training. Private Conroy smuggled Stubby aboard the S.S. Minnesota. They landed in France with the 102nd infantry, Yankee Division and were on the front line February 5, 1918. Stubby participated with valor in seventeen WWI engagements. He recovered in a military hospital from injuries suffered from a German hand grenade and later from a German gas attack. Exposure to the gas made Stubby very sensitive to the smell. One night he detected the gas from a German attack wafting in while soldiers slept and ran through the trenches barking and nipping to wake sleeping soldiers. His valiant effort saved many lives. On another occasion, Stubby found a German soldier mapping American trenches. Stubby caught and reportedly held the intruder by sinking teeth into his buttocks until soldiers arrived to take charge of the spy.
Stubby met President Woodrow Wilson on a Christmas visit to France in 1918. He was the first military dog to be promoted to sergeant and received many military medals, badges and patches. General George Pershing awarded a gold medal to Sgt. Stubby in 1921. That same year Sgt. Stubby visited the White House and met President Harding. He was invited to the White House again in 1924 to meet President Coolidge. Sgt. Stubby was loved, well respected and is fondly remembered for his service as the first of a long line of military dogs that faithfully serve to protect our country.
Text and photos are Copyright © 2013 C. Sue Furman, Ph.D. and Holistic Touch Therapy
c.suefurman@gmail.com
This article originally appeared in the November 2013 edition of the Holistic Touch Therapy Newsletter.