In World War II, when the US war dog program was in its infancy, it depended almost entirely on people donating their dogs to the fight. I can’t imagine what it was like to say good-bye to the family dog – even in a time when dogs had a slightly different status in most homes…
Until the now-famous Navy SEAL Team Six raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound last year, most people had no idea that dogs are a vital part of the military. But these four-legged heroes have saved tens of thousands of lives since World War II, when the U.S. embarked on its military working dog program….
A dog’s paw, a sergeant’s boot. “He had huge feet, a huge heart,” Army Sgt. Amanda Ingraham told me of her former military working dog, Rex, a noble, gentle giant of a German Shepherd. (Photo courtesy of Army Sgt. Amanda Ingraham. You can learn Rex’s story in Soldier Dogs.)