| War Dogs in Vietnam |
| In 1960, Air Force planners knew that ground units and aircraft would soon be involved in war throughout Southeast Asia. Early in 1961, the 4400th Crew Training Squadron was activated at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to prepare airmen for action in guerrilla warfare. Graduates of the school were assigned as advisors to the South Vietnamese military. Operation Farmgate had begun. In November 1961, the long term commitment of US forces in Vietnam began. In September 1964, a request came into Fort Benning, Georgia, for scout dogs to be provided for support of American infantry operations in Vietnam. The request called for an expansion of the 26th IPSD and an increase in both kennel and veterinary facilities. In March 1965, military working dogs were approved for use in Vietnam and by July 17th, forty teams began deployment to three bases - Tan Son Nhut, Ben Hoa, and Da Nang. By the end of the year there were 99 dogs in the country. A little over one year later in September 1966, more than 500 dog teams were deployed to over ten bases. When the dogs arrived in Vietnam there was still skepticism as to how useful the dogs would actually be. In Vietnam, US soldiers had a saying: "The night belongs to Charlie." What this meant was, at night the Viet Cong played deadly games of chicken around American bases, cutting fences, firing mortar rounds, keeping everone on edge. From midnight until dawn, when a lonely 19-year-old draftee patrolled outside the perimeter of Tay Ninh base, the only thing between him and death was his dog. Once a unit used a dog, though, they soon found out how valuable they were. Many requests for dogs from Marine units went unmet due to the shortage in supply of trainined canines. Patrol commitments for the dogs and their handlers lasted from two hours to five days, but sometimes would vary depending on circumstances. Dog teams were listed on a big board in an order determined by the Commander. As calls came in for teams, the teams at the top of the board would go out first. When a team returned from a mission they would drop to the bottom of the list and get time to rest until they worked their way back to the top of the list again. The rotation was affected by many factors such as a handler or dog being sick, weather conditions, number of teams operational, the extent to which field commanders desired to call for dog teams, etc. In the first year of Marine operations in Vietnam, 12 dogs in the first platoon were wounded and two killed. In the second platoon, seven dogs were wounded. Handlers from both platoons were wounded, but none were killed. Many patrols avoided being ambushed when a dog was on duty. The dogs always sniffed out danger and 'forced the VC to show his hand before he wanted to.' During one operation, a scout dog named Tiger, with the 25th IPSD, gave his handler a strong alert. He prevented the company from walking into a battalion-size Viet Cong ambush 300 yards away. "After Tiger gave the alert," recalled Lieutenant Hampton, "the company swung left and hit just the trailing edge of the ambush." A firefight erupted that resulted in only light casualties in the company. Tiger fell from the first VC shot, and his handler was wounded during the exchange of small-arms fire that followed. Since the dogs could not distinguish between North and South Vietnamese or even American troops, the handler would make sure the dog was familiar with everyone's scent prior to a patrol. The fact that the scout dogs alerted to other Americans was a benefit and helped to reduce the number of friendly fire incidents. Each individual carries a specific scent about them. A dog can interpret and retain all that olfactory information. A German shepherd's ability to smell is at least 40 times greater than a human's ability. Scout dogs have been known to locate booby traps that were placed several months earlier under ground, in the water, or up in a tree. Dogs are able to alert to the explosive chemical or to the lingering scent of the person who laid the trap. Most scout dogs were not viciouis, but they could only be reliably controlled by their handler. A dog wounded on patrol could be muzzled so as not to pose a threat to the men around him. If the handler was wounded, however, a serious problem would occur. The dog would not allow anyone to come near him or his handler. In this case, the dog might have to be shot so that the handler could be given medical attention. Though these instances did occur, they were few and far between. German shepherds possess powerful jaw muscles that can easily rip human flesh. Although not trained for this function, scout dogs often participated in interrogations of VC and NVA prisoners. The dogs would stay in the background during questioning, held back by their handlers. On command, the dogs strained at their leashes, flashing a full set of teeth as they growled and barked. According to reports, this intimidation had the desired effect on the prisoners. In 1967, a disease appeared in Vietnam that reached epidemic proportions. An affected dog would run a fever for several days or weeks and then apparently recover. The dog would appear ok for the next two to four months and then would suddenly start bleeding from the nose. At this point, the dog's health quickly deteriorated to loss of appetite, dropped weight, developed sores, and became weak in its hind legs. Death followed within a few days. Within several months, 89 dogs died in 15 different platoons. The disease was named Tropical Canine Panctopnia (TCP). It was determined through an investigation that the disease had been brought in by British troops and the Labrador retrievers that accompanied them. The disease was carried through ticks, which had been gatherd in Malaysia. The disease got so bad that many platoons were reduced to 59% operating capacity. Canines were treated with such drugs as Malathion and Sevin to reduce the tick population. In return, the cases of TCP dropped drammatically. Over 2,000 dogs served in Vietnam. Very few of the dogs made it back to the Sotates, only about 190 out of the original 2,000 ever reached US soil again. There was a great fear of introducing TCP to the States. Because of this most dogs were exiled to live and die in Vietnam. Many dogs were worked until they eventually succumbed to a combat death, diseaese, mishap, or turned over to the ARVN troops as surplus equipment or euthanized. It is believed that over 10,000 casualties were prevented by the use of War Dogs. "In life the firmest friend. The first to welcome, foremost to defend. Whose honest heart is still his master's own. Who labors, fights, lives, breathes for him alone." Lord George Gordon Byron |