Sgt. Geronimo; Denver, CO, USA

The grave of US Army dog Sgt. Geronimo in the historic Denver Pet Cemetery. Author's Collection

 Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day we remember those who have fallen in the defense of our country. You can find a memorial to lost service members in every city and state in the United States. Some memorialize a specific event, platoon, or branch of the military. There are also a surprising number of memorials to war dogs. These military working dogs (MWD) did a variety of jobs in the military, including sniffing for explosives, tracking, guard duty and more. Many of the memorials specifically reference the Vietnam war, where dogs were helpful in navigating dense jungles, locating landmines and guarding sleeping men. I wanted to take some time today to mention a few of the memorials around the US that are dedicated to war dogs. Then I'll talk about visiting the grave of Sergeant Geronimo, a site near me that commemorates an interesting military dog.
A select few war dog memorial sites are:

The Never Forgotten Fountain, and Military

Working Dog Memorial.
myairmuseum.org photos

Military Working Dog Memorial:
Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Since 1953 all military canines have been trained at Lackland AFB. There are two parts to the Working Dog Memorial. The statue above, which represents a handler and four common military dog breeds (Labrador, German Shepard, Doberman Pinscher, and Belgian Malinois) is inscribed "Guardians of America's Freedom." The flags represent the five branches of the US military. Nearby is the smaller "Never Forgotten Fountain," shown on the right, which includes the inscription, "In everlasting memory of all the heroic war dogs left behind in the Vietnam War. John Burnham, Vietnam Scout Dog Handler." The decision by the Department of Defense not to extract the dogs that had arrived in Vietnam with the army was devastating to many of the handlers and servicemen who worked with them. Burnham was inspired to raise funds for this memorial, which became the first in the country when it was erected in 2013.

PO2 Blake Soller and MWD Rico pay tribute to those who came before.
Stars & Stripes Photo

National War Dog Cemetery:
Naval Base Guam, Guam, USA.
On July 21, 1944 US forces, primarily Marines , took Guam back from the Japanese military in a bloody battle. American losses during the battle included twenty-five war dogs. One dog, Kurt is immortalized in bronze atop the memorial. Kurt saved the lives of 250 Marines by silently warning them of Japanese activity ahead. Actions like this convinced the Marines that the dogs were valuable members of the team, and soon each Marine Division had a dog platoon. When William Putney, one of the dogs trainers visited the site where the dogs had been buried in Guam, he was distressed to find the graves untended. He raised the money for the memorial which is inscribed, "25 Marine war dogs gave their lives liberating Guam in 1944. They served as sentries, messengers and scouts. They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps. Semper Fidelis (Latin for Always Faithful, the USMC motto)." There are also duplicates of this memorial in Quantico VA, and the University of Texas Veterinary School.

Planned War Dog Memorial
Colorado Springs, CO, USA

A side view of the Ft. Benning War Dog Memorial. Schomberg Studios photo

There are many groups that would love to see new memorials to war dogs. One is near me in Colorado Springs. Click here to support them. If you know of other planned memorials let me know in the comments below.

War Dog Memorial
National Infantry Musuem, Fort Benning, GA, USA
Fort Benning was the training site for many of the military dogs that served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. In memory of those dogs, and other that have died in service of the country. This striking statue was unveiled in 2000 is a monolith with the form of a handler and a German Shepard disappearing into it. The monument's sculptor, Thomas Schomberg said the sculpture was meant to reflect the bond between humans and canines, and remind of us the sacrifices that both have made in combat. A plaque contains the names of some of the dogs from Ft. Benning that have died in combat. A replica of this statue also stands in March Air Force Base, Riverside, CA.

Sgt. Geronimo's final resting place in the Denver Historic Pet Cemetery. Author's Collection

Sgt. Geronimo's Grave

Denver Pet Cemetery, Commerce City, CO, USA

One of the dogs that was at Ft. Benning ended his life in Colorado. His name was Sgt. Geronimo; I visited his grave today. Sgt. Geronimo didn't actually die in combat but I wanted to include him in today's discussion anyway. While many military working dogs risk their lives in combat, not many take the risks that Geronimo did before facing battle. Geronimo was in the 507th paratroop division. He was trained to find explosives, but first he had to jump out of a plane.

Geronimo under canopy. Life Magazine photo.

This is one of those stories that's a little hard to pin down, but here's what it sounds like happened. The 507 was assigned to Ft. Benning in Georgia for parachute training. While they were there one of the men Kenneth Williams found a stray, part German shepherd, part coyote, they guessed. It was common for soldiers to pick up strays at training. My own grandfather did the same thing while training in Vicksburg MI, but that's a whole blog post of it's own that I haven't written yet.

Landed Safely. Life Magazine photo.

The military was interested in using dogs for explosives detection, but didn't always have a way to get them to where they were needed. Since the 507 was a paratroop division Williams offered up their mascot, who had been dubbed Geronimo, after the tradition of shouting "Geronimo" when exiting a plane. There are actually a couple of different stories about why the soldiers decided to shout the long-dead native leader's name, but the "jump shout" apparently has its origins at Ft. Benning, just like Geronimo the dog.

Geronimo and Williams. Rocky Mtn. News photo

According to some of William's comrades Geronimo had to be pushed out of the plane on his first excursion, and howled the whole way down. But the dog soon took to jumping and sometimes had to be restrained in the plane so he wouldn't jump too soon. Apparently, no matter how many jumps he made it still made him nervous and he had to relieve himself as soon as he landed.

Geronimo wasn't destined to be a hero on the battlefield though. Instead the military recognized his usefulness on the home front. The public would love this patriotic pup. He and Williams travelled the country, based out of Alliance Air Army Base in Nebraska. It was probably at Alliance, when Geronimo was officially part of army air shows that he received his sergeant's stripes. Military dogs are officially listed as non-commissioned officers, and receive the rank sergeant, meaning they often outrank their handlers.

The air shows Geronimo participated in generated interest in the military, helped to bring people to blood drives and sold millions in war bonds.  According to William's platoon mates President Franklin Roosevelt once said, "Sometimes a dog can accomplish what humans can only dream of. Geronimo is an example of this."

The 507 went on to play an important role in the battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, but from what I can tell Williams and Geronimo stayed on the home front. Williams broke his ankle or foot in a training exercise or at an air show. After an honorable discharge from the Army, Williams moved to Denver with Geronimo. On May 11, 1947 Geronimo got out of his yard, and was struck by a truck on Race St. He died soon after. Williams had Geronimo interred at the Denver Pet Cemetery. In 2004 Greeley Monument Works crafted the upright gravestone with the relief of Williams and Geronimo. 

Note: There are claims on the internet that family history has Williams and Geronimo involved in active battles during WWII. My research shows that Williams name is not listed on the Army's massive roster of paratroopers who took part in the invasion at Normandy with the 507. I can only assume that the injury happened before June of 1944.

Thanks for spending a little of your Memorial Day with Herding Bronze Cats. I hope your day has been as good and meaningful as mine was.

I know that I've only scratched the surface of War Dog Memorials in the United States and around the world. There are a couple others on my Master List of Monuments in the "Other Sites" section and I would love to expand it. Please let me know in the comments below where your favorite War Dog Memorial is so I can add it to the list.

Sources:

Sgt. Geronimo

Greeley Monument Works

Rocky Mountain News article copy

Denver Post Article (with thanks to Denver Pet Cemetery) 

Time Article

Lackland War Dog Memorial: 

My Air Museum

Reuters Article

National War Dog Cemetery, Guam: 

Documentary

Stars and Stripes Article

Ft. Benning War Dog Memorial

Schomberg Studios 

Military Working Dog Team Association

Unveiling video