Sergeant Stubby Essay

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Although the United States did not have an official program for using dogs in the military until World War II, a bull terrier named Stubby, earned a place in the Army during World War I, and was responsible for saving hundreds of lives. Sergeant Stubby became the most decorated war dog of World War I and became the only dog to be nominated for a rank, and then be promoted to sergeant through combat. Stubby was found wandering around the Army Training Session at Yale Field in Connecticut in July 1917. Corporal Robert Conroy, grew attached to the dog, and later named him Stubby because of his short and stubby tail. Stubby trained with members of the 102nd Infantry, and learned bugle calls, drills, and even how to salute. Corporal Conroy smuggled Stubby onto a ship to the Western Front, and hid him until he was discovered by the commanding officer. The story goes that Stubby saluted the officer, and therefore was allowed to stay on the ship. Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry for 18 months and participated in 17 battles, including the Chateau- Thierry and the Marne. Because Stubby had survived many gas attacks, he became very sensitive to the smell of gas and was able to detect it much sooner, and alert his fellow soldiers in time. He also had sharp hearing, which allowed him to hear even the quietest sounds of the advancing enemy, and silently alert the soldiers when the enemy was near. Stubby is most famous for when he heard a German Spy trying to sneak into Conroy’s camp during the middle of the night. Stubby managed to bite the spy’s leg, immobilizing him until Conroy and the other soldiers arrived to imprison the German. On the battlefield, Stubby was also known as a “mercy dog” because he would scan the battlefield for injured troops, and comfort them while they lie dying, or alert the paramedics about wounded soldiers. After the war, Stubby

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