Dogs of War

For one Vietnam veteran, there are some very important names missing from the Vietnam war memorial in Washington: the country's war dogs. About 4,000 dogs were trained at Fort Benning and sent to Vietnam to serve as scouts, sentries, and combat trackers. Most didn't make it back.

Jesse Mendez, the head war dog instructor at the base, thinks their service has long been overlooked and is raising money to build two war dog memorials, one in Washington D.C. and one in California at the nation's largest veteran cemetery.

"some people thought of the dogs as a novelty," says Mendez, "but their contributions were every bit as important as the others."

Another Vietnam vet agrees. John Kubisz, who served with a veterinary detachment in Vietnam, said, "There would be a whole lot more than 50,000 names on the memorial wall without these dogs. I don't think the average American even knows the role they played."

Dogs were also used in World War II but were given greater recognition. At the end of the Vietnam War, only 180 dogs came home. Classified as equipment or surplus armaments, many were simply left in their kennels, their fate unknown. In contrast, Mendez remarks, the dogs that served in World War II were shipped back to the States and returned to their owners. Many even came home with medals.



From BEST FRIENDS MAGAZINE May/June 1999

For more information or to send a donation write to:
Vietnam Dog Handlers' Association
c/o Randy Kimler
2044 Llano
Port Neches, TX 77651

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