Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII
- ISBN-10
- 0743213734
- ISBN-13
- 9780743213738
- Series
- Always Faithful
- Category
- Pets
- Pages
- 240
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2002-02-22
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Author
- William W. Putney
Description
Twenty-three-year-old Bill Putney enlisted in the Marines in 1943 in search of military glory. Instead, Putney, a licensed veterinarian, was relegated to the Dog Corps. Putney became the Commanding Officer of the 3rd War Dog Platoon, and later the chief veterinarian and C.O. of the War Dog Training School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. At Lejeune Putney helped train America's dogs for war in the Pacific. He later led them into combat in the invasion of Guam in 1944, the first liberation of American soil in World War II. Always Faithful is the story of the dogs that fought in Guam and across the islands of the Pacific, a celebration of the four-legged soldiers that Putney both commanded and followed. It is a tale of immense courage, but also of incredible sacrifice. On Guam, as on islands such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the Japanese were infamously tenacious, refusing to surrender as long as there was a hole left to crawl into. Rooting out the enemy was an awful, painstaking job. To this task, Putney's dogs were well suited. Used for scouting, attack, carrying messages, detecting mines, and also as guards, the war dogs were so well trained that they could locate nonmetallic mines that had been buried for months deep underground; their hearing was so precise they could detect enemy trip wires by listening to them "sing" in the breeze. Their record in action was perfect. More than 550 patrols on the island of Guam were led by dogs; not one patrol was ambushed. But for this success, the dogs, always out in front, paid a terrible price. Although Putney worked feverishly as veterinarian and C.O. to keep the dogs alive, many were lost. After the war, Putney returned home only to discover that the dogs he had served with were being put to sleep. These dogs were ex-household pets, recruited from civilians with the promise that they would someday be returned. Outraged, Putney fought for the dogs' right to go home. He won, and headed the overwhelmingly successful program to "detrain" the dogs so they could return to their families. Alas, quickly learned, the lesson was quickly forgotten. The dogs of Korea and Vietnam did not come home. Then, in the final days of his administration, President Clinton signed into law a bill that allows military handlers to bring home the dogs with which they work. Once again, Putney was at the front of the charge. For anyone who has ever read Old Yeller, or the books of Jack London, here is a real-life story, never before told, that beats any fiction. At once wistful tribute and stirring adventure, Always Faithful describes what may be the greatest man-dog effort of all time. It will both astound and move you.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2016-03-08
- 234 pages
- Ebook
- Pacifica Military History
-
- 2003
- 256 pages
- Paperback
- Potomac Books Incorporated
Similar books
-
The Everything Horse Book: Buying, riding, and caring for your equine companion
By Karen Leigh DavisSome horse facilities are set up in the business of buying and selling horses. They typically are not breeders and do not breed their own livestock, nor do they specialize in any one breed of horse or riding discipline.
-
The Romance of the Collie
By Karen D. PfeifferBy way of welcome Dawn snatched up a newly-cut thorn bush, and with this offering, he cantered over to her. The thorns became enmeshed at once in the filmy dress she was wearing. Gleesomely Dawn galloped around and around her, ...
-
Why Cats Do That: A Collection of Curious Kitty Quirks
By Karen AndersonA celebration of feline idiosyncrasies shares lighthearted explanations of such perplexing behaviors as getting stuck in trees, delivering kills to the doorstep and landing on their feet, in a volume complemented by evocative black-and ...
-
Sunken Gardens: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planting Freshwater Aquariums
By Karen A. Randall... 101 Ceratopteris thalictroides, 116–117, 124, 145, 164 chain sword, 121 chelating agents, 84 chemical filtration, 47 cherry shrimp, 181,235 chip clip, 223 chloramine, 28 chloride, 84 chlorine, 28 Christensen, Claus, 23 cichlid, 163, ...
-
Decoding Your Dog: The Ultimate Experts Explain Common Dog Behaviors and Reveal How to Prevent Or Change Unwanted Ones
By Steve Dale, Gary M. Landsberg, Katherine A. HouptAdvance Praise for Decoding Your Dog: Kudos to the Veterinary Behaviorists! Decoding Your Dog is a welcome addition to the voices supporting science-based and benevolent dog training. Read this book and your dog will thank you for it!
-
你的貓【暢銷二版】
By 伊莉莎白．哈吉肯斯部分視力依然受損,我跟他的主人說,可能要好幾週或好幾個月,視力才有可能會改善。我們讓灰灰出院,他的主人帶著灰灰和皮下注射液一起回家。我指示他們要在灰灰每一餐的食物中加入磷結合劑,而且只能吃高蛋白質罐頭,每天都要服用貝那普利和脈優錠。
-
Training Miniature Performance Horses: A Comprehensive Guide to Hunter, Jumper, and Halter Obstacle
By Jennifer Alisia Garrett, Jennifer Alisia Garrett BryantFirst Ever Guide to Hunter, Jumper, and Halter Obstacle for the Miniature Performance Horse! This great book will help owners train their horses and correct common mistakes.
-
Horses in Company
By Lucy ReesAt the highest level, my friend Delia Daniels, an artist at traditional Spanish high school, uses banks and slopes so imaginatively and skilfully that when a horse is strong and well-balanced enough he naturally offers her piaffe and ...
-
All Things Wise and Wonderful
By James HerriotThe Yorkshire veterinarian's sequel to All Things Bright and Beautiful focuses on his induction into the RAF during World War II, his trips back to Yorkshire, and his recollections of animals that he has cared for and people who have ...
-
The Natural Superiority of Mules: A Celebration of One of the Most Intelligent, Sure-Footed, and Misunderstood Animals in the World,...
By John HauerHowever, the excitement of facing the challenge of the canyon, and witnessing the unparalleled beauty for the first time, created a magnetic force that tugs as strongly today as it did when Major John Wesley Powell made his first ...