Dogs for Defense
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
We're used to talking about men and women going to war. But have you ever thought of the many dogs that fight for their countries?
Today it's not uncommon to see dogs used by police forces around the world. Their noses can locate drugs, explosives, and missing persons. They're even used to attack wrong-doers. Less well-known is that many countries use dogs in the military, often for similar purposes.
There was no American "K-9" (canine--get it?) corps when the U.S. entered World War II. So after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a program was begun called "Dogs for Defense," in which citizens were asked to donate their pets for military training and service. More than 11,000 dogs served with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps.
One of the most decorated of these heroic hounds was Chips, a German Shepherd-Collie-Siberian Husky mix owned by Edward J. Wren of Pleasantville, New York. Chips entered training in 1942, and, along with his handler, Private John P. Rowell, saw service in an amazing number of places, including North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany.
Chips worked as a sentry dog at a historic meeting in January of 1943 in Casablanca, Morocco. Attending the meeting were U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt; British Prime Minister Winston Churchill; and leaders of Free French Forces and Morocco. (He also nipped future president Dwight D. Eisenhower, then a general, when they met; he was trained only to allow Private Rowell to touch him.)
Later that year, in dramatic action in Sicily, Chips was pinned down with his handler by a team of Italian machine-gunners. The dog ran and jumped into the gunners' pillbox, driving them out, where they surrendered. He helped take ten more Italian prisoners later that same day.
Chips was awarded two military medals: the Silver Star, the third-highest award; and the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while attacking the machine-gunners. He was also nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest combat award. The rewards were revoked later due to a restriction by the Army on awards to animals.
He died peacefully at age five or six, after returning to the Wren family.