Next Tuesday, March 13 is National K9 Veteran Day. There is a fascinating history of “War Dogs” in the US that started with the “K9 Corp” during WWII. Of course, dogs have been used for centuries during war, sometimes not very humanely. But during WWII they resurfaced as sentries for military bases and to prevent sabotage. They were used extensively in Vietnam and lately in the Middle East. I liked the recent movie Max which is about a Malinois service dog that comes home to “Texas” after his handler dies, is placed with the handler’s family, with adjustment problems. (They were wearing sweaters at July 4th picnic, with mountains in background, so I doubt it was filmed in Longview). I recommend checking it out.
I imagined most K9 Corp dogs were German Shepherds or Malinois, but there was a famous Yorkshire Terrier who strung communication lines and a Newfoundland who played fetch with a Japanese hand grenade. In 2015, there were about 2500 dogs in the military and 700 overseas. For more fascinating history of war dogs: http://www.uswardogs.org/war-dog-history/world-war-2/
And if you know or see a K9 veteran, thank him for his service.
For more information:
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-k9-veterans-day-march-13/
https://www.facebook.com/NationalK9VeteransDay/
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