For his keen instincts and fierce loyalty, Stubby is still recognized today as the most decorated canine in American history and the first promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the U.S. Army. Sergeant Stubby's true breed The statement that Sergeant Stubby was a pit bull terrier is referenced from a Staffordshire bull terrier club, which provides no sources, quotes or testimonies to back that claim up, instead simply basically saying "it's true because we said it is." Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. Stubby was made a member of the Red Cross and the American Legion. Stubby later took part in the brutal offensives of Saint-Mihiel, Aisne-Marne, and the Champagne-Marne. Yale University’s football stadium was the site of Camp Yale, where the soldiers of the 102nd Infantry, part of the New England–based 26th “Yankee” Division, were doing basic training prior to their deployment. Stubby’s provenance is unknown. Stubby was an American pit bull terrier, pit bulls used to be smaller until they made a larger and buffer version by combining bigger and more muscular dogs into the mix. And there are newspaper clippings, the closest we have to a comprehensive anthology of the press coverage of Stubby. The regiment’s leader, Col. John Henry Parker, was a gruff, intimidating man, a veteran of the Spanish-American War and an expert machine gun tactician who eventually received a Silver Star for extraordinary heroism. Later, Stubby was injured during a grenade attack, receiving a large amount of … Stubby proved himself extremely useful on the battlefield. Still, not everyone was captive to Stubby’s charms. It was Parker who gave special orders that Stubby remain with the 26th. Stubby, a pit bull type dog, was a hero of World War I. Stubby, according to vintage articles from his time (linked below in "references") and this 1921 one in particular, was noted to be a Boston Bull Terrier, which is the old term for the Boston Terrier breed. According to several news reports, he first enters the historical record in July 1917 as an ownerless stray. He was not an impressive sight: short, barrel-shaped, a bit homely, with brown and white brindled stripes. Stubby connected with the 102nd Regiment of the 26thDivision while it was training for war on the Yale campus. When the 102nd reached Chateâu Thierry in July, the dog had evidently learned to distinguish a khaki doughboy uniform from gray serge Germany garb: He recognized a uniformed enemy soldier. He looks like a ramrod sergeant: tough, unsmiling, no nonsense, with a coat covered in medals. Stubby”, is one of my favorite artifacts in the Armed Forces History collections.He was the mascot of the 102 Infantry 26th Yankee Division in World War I. At Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, a soldier who is missing a foot lights a cigarette for a soldier who is missing both arms, circa 1918. Stubby, the foundling mutt, was thus an apt mascot for the U.S. forces: unpedigreed, untrained, an underdog. At the peak of the war, Germany’s dog forces numbered more than 30,000: messengers, Sanitätshunde, draught animals, guards. He’s a decorated WWI Hero, friend to presidents, and a total looker. The story of dogs in warfare is an old one, stretching back to antiquity. A wondering mongrel, Stubby latched onto the 102 nd Infantry regiment of Connecticut and accompanied it across the major battlefields of the Western Front in World War 1. The stories are mostly written in a breathless tabloid tone that suggests the truth was less important to their authors than a good yarn: We can feel confident about certain details that emerge from the journalistic record: Stubby served in France, he was the beloved mascot for the 102nd, he was wounded at Seicheprey. Sergeant Stubby among his buddies leading a Legion parade. Humble beginnings. Airedale terriers were considered good messenger dogs. The dog, it was said, “was the only member of his regiment that could talk back to [Parker] and get away with it.”, Stubby remained with the 102nd throughout the training period in Neufchâteau. Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History via Carl Malamud. “Even when the shells were singing, to see a line half a mile long of dog teams tearing down the mountain to the base depot, every blue devil whooping and yelling and trying to pass the one ahead.”. Stubby the dog, known to many as “Sgt. Canines have been utilized in times of war for centuries. The setting for Stubby’s debut was the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut. Stubby, the hero war dog, is back in the state. Involved in 17 battles, Stubby did more … Seicheprey sustained the heaviest losses in the Saint-Mihiel sector. In December 1922, the New York Times reported that for the first time, the exclusive Hotel Majestic on Central Park had broken its own rules and allowed the dog to stay overnight. Sergeant Stubby was a dog who helped soldiers fighting in World War One. He served for 18 months in World War I as part of the 102 nd infantry, 26 th Division in France. After living through a total of 17 battles, Sgt. When the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, Stubby was in Meuse-Argonne. For his valorous actions, Stubby is recognized as the first canine ever promoted to the rank of Sergeant in … To this day he holds his own display at the National Museum of American History, and can be visited by anyone. Conroy named the puppy Stubby, and the pup was soon the unofficial mascot of Conroy’s unit, the 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division. Stubby was a brindle puppy with a short tail. After the war, Stubby was ubiquitous. Sergeant Stubby served as the infantry’s mascot during World War I. Siberian huskies, naturally, were relied on for transport. Slate relies on advertising to support our journalism. Often, the dogs simply provided comfort and a warm body to dying men on battlefields. A senior officer discovered the ruse. He served with distinction during WWI and had the honor of being the war’s most decorated war dog. This practice is to ensure due regard for these special dogs, as well as aid in the prevention of any possible abuse. Getting Stubby to Europe would be a more daunting challenge. Here are some interesting things to know about this four-legged hero. He met three sitting presidents, traveled the nation to veterans’ commemorations, and performed in vaudeville shows, earning $62.50 for three days of theatrical appearances, more than twice the weekly salary of the average American. He was excellent in locating the wounded soldiers and getting them help. A French sergeant and a dog, both wearing gas masks, on their way to the front line. Stubby and company were placed in support positions to wait for a German breakthrough. When you think of a military dog, what breed comes to mind? Ann Bausum, author of Stubby the War Dog: The True Story of World War I’s Bravest Dog, writes that J. Robert Conroy, a 25-old private from New Britain, Connecticut, forged the closest bond with the mutt. Like Rags, Stubby was a stray, and fell in with some soldiers drilling in New Haven, Conn. Cpl. Malinois? The 26th Division soon moved from Chemin des Dames to nearby towns of Saint-Mihiel and Seicheprey. Stubby first smelled the gas then ran up and down the trenches barking and biting soldiers, working to rouse them from slumber and getting them to safety. There are sepia-toned photographs showing the dog in the French countryside, surrounded by soldiers on a wooden Ford Model T ambulance. The two were soon inseparable.*. But given the documentation that has survived, it is difficult at times to separate the actions of the real dog from the mythology that sprung up around him upon his triumphant return with the victorious American Army. Among the allies, France had the largest and most diverse dog units. Many of the countries involved in World War I had war dog training schools in place prior to the conflict. French soldiers in trench in Northeastern France, circa 1916-1918. The YMCA conferred a lifetime membership on the dog, stipulating that he was entitled to “three bones a day and a place to sleep” for as long as he lived. It’s also been said that he is responsible for saving the lives of an entire company! He proved quick to learn. Pvt. The ceremony was presided over by Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of the American forces in Europe during the war. The story of Stubby the war dog begins in the year of 1917, in Connecticut during WW1. Stubby was found wandering the grounds of Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticutwhile a group of soldiers were training. Some say that he was a brindle bull terrier mutt, or pit bull mix, and others believe he was a Boston Terrier mix. Stubby would train with the Army every morning, running and exercising with the unit. His presence during recovery is said to have thoroughly boosted the morale of his fellow wounded soldiers. Courtesy of Harris & Ewing Collection/Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington. Meet the first dog to be given military rank in U.S. history. 1. On April 20, near Seicheprey, the Germany infantry led one of its first attacks against American troops. The conventional wisdom favored pedigreed dogs: Jack Russell terriers for chasing rats out of trenches; German shepherds, Chiens de Brie, and Alsatian sheep dogs for sentry duty. In the Middle Ages, knights outfitted dogs with canine armor; Napoleon used trained dogs as sentinels in the French campaign in Egypt. They saw more fighting than any other American infantry division: 210 days in total. Before the military started actual programs for these military dogs, they were ideal for breaking up enemy formations- running fearlessly into the sea of men- and taking them down one by one. Allan managed to transport, in secret, more than 400 sled dogs from Alaska to Quebec, where he and the dogs boarded a cargo ship bound for France. Once there, the dogs hauled ammunition, aided soldiers in the work of laying communication lines, and helped transport wounded soldiers to field hospitals. In 1915, the French government asked Allan Alexander Allan, a Scotsman living in Alaska, to provide its army with sled dogs. Surely some measure of his popularity in the postwar period was due to the novelty of a canine hero. Baldy sired 28 of the sled dogs sent to France by Allan during WWI. Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Persians, Greeks, Assyrians, and Babylonians, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington. A machinist onboard fashioned Stubby his own set of metal “dog tags.” By the time the troops disembarked in the port of Saint-Nazaire on France’s western coast, Stubby was the 102nd Infantry’s unofficial mascot. Millions of Americans heard tales of Stubby’s courage. The book is crammed with documents and ephemera: fan letters, poems, drawings, an invitation to the White House from President Wilson. He was so popular that his actions were well-documented in contemporary American newspapers. It was at Chemin des Dames that Stubby reportedly saved the 102nd from a gas attack. Before he became the most decorated war dog in American history, Sergeant Stubby was homeless: unwanted, unwashed, unloved, and scrounging for scraps on the streets of Connecticut. Stubby was described in contemporaneous news items as a Boston Terrier or "American bull terrier" mutt. Here are some interesting things about Sergeant Stubby, the Heroic War Dog: The most famous animal to emerge from the war had a strong Connecticut connection: Sgt. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Here the 26th Division was slated to board one of the largest freighters navigating the Atlantic, the SS Minnesota. He then spirited the dog down to the hold and hid him in the ship’s coal bin. Sgt Stubby – The War Dog The story of Stubby the war dog begins in the year of 1917, in Connecticut during WW1. He was also a mascot at Georgetown University. It is actually customary that all military working canines receive the unofficial title of NCO. The dog hung around as the men drilled and one soldier, Corporal Robert Conroy, developed a fondness for the Boston Terrier. On July 6, 1921, a curious gathering took place at the State, War, and Navy Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. France, Britain, Belgium, Germany, and Russia all recognized the value of trained dogs on the battlefield. Almost 3,000 German Stoßtruppen (shock troops) fired on, and overwhelmed, a small contingent of 600 American soldiers from the 26th. In September 1917, a few months after Stubby first embedded with the troops at the Yale Bowl, the 102nd prepared to ship out. By joining Slate Plus you support our work and get exclusive content. Stubby appeared in dog shows for this still-evolving breed, and he was often reported to have been an American bull terrier, one of the early names for the new breed. Sergeant Stubby was the most decorated dog of World War I. Correction, May 8, 2014: This article originally misspelled author Ann Bausum’s first name. The 102nd Infantry headquarters were set up near a dangerous spot 1½ miles north of Mandres-aux-Quatre-Tours. When he was a puppy in 1917, Stubby was wandering around the fields of Yale University. (Perhaps gas masks were to thank—man and dog alike were issued masks, though the New York Times reported that “Stubby’s physiognomy was of such peculiar contour that no mask could afford real satisfaction.”). Stubby — who was believed to be a Pit Bull mix — was the most decorated war dog in U.S. history. In one battle, Prusco, a French dog, located and dragged more than 100 wounded men to safety. Sergeant Stubby was a pit bull type dog that was found and “enlisted” by Private Conroy during World War I. When Conroy studied law at Georgetown University, Sergeant Stubby became the official mascot of the Georgetown Hoyas- shortly before his death in 1926. The dog gave chase, eventually dragging the soldier back to the 102nd. The Times describes how one morning, while most of the troops were sleeping, the division was assaulted by an early morning gas launch. “We came into this war without an army … so now must build an entire new organization,” said Gen. Pershing in 1917. The accounts collected in Conroy’s scrapbook broadly sketch the narrative of Stubby’s service that became familiar in the immediate postwar years. French Infantryman Gaston Baptiste befriends the duo and accompanies them along their epic journey through harsh conditions and incredible acts of courage. Heavy winter snows in the Vosges Mountains were holding back French supply lines; mules and horses couldn’t breach the impasse to move artillery and ammunition. Unfortunately this special canine did not leave the battlefield completely unscathed. Photo by Sgt. The highest military rank ever achieved by a dog is in fact Sergeant, which is what Stubby was promoted to in combat for his great courage on the battlefield. Courtesy of Division of Armed Forces/Smithsonian National Museum of America History, On a steamy summer morning, news reports would later recount, Stubby wandered onto the massive field, where the soldiers were doing exercises. THE TRUSTED RESOURCE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES, Sergeant Stubby: The Highest Ranking Military Dog in History. You’ve run out of free articles. According to Bausum, the two reportedly shook “hands.” Four months later, on April 29, 1919, Stubby and Conroy were demobilized at Camp Devens, Massachusetts. Somehow, the dog and his master survived. German Shepherd? “It was enough to make one forget all about the war,” Allan recalled later. J. Robert Conroy and Sergeant Stubby at the capitol in Washington. “Stubby’s history overseas,” a Waterbury, Connecticut, newspaper wrote in 1922, “is the story of almost any average doughboy.” But of course Stubby was not a doughboy, and his renown was anything but average. Stubby’s ears are pointed up, and he wears a gruff expression. The New York Times describes how Conroy eluded the ship guards by concealing Stubby in his Army-issue greatcoat. By June, however, Stubby had recovered and was back in action. At one point, the U.S. Army borrowed French-trained dogs for sentry duty, but the plan was eventually aborted because the dogs only responded to commands in French. On St. Patrick’s Day, bells and klaxons, the signal of a poison gas attack, rang out along the hillside in the Marne where Stubby and Conroy were stationed. He was a dog of uncertain breed, described in early news stories as either a Bull Terrier or Boston Terrier, with a short stature, barrel shape and friendly temperament. The highest military rank ever achieved by a dog is in fact Sergeant, which is what Stubby was promoted to in combat for his great courage on the battlefield. Oftentimes when speaking of our American soldiers, we’re referring to all the brave men and women who have committed to protecting our great nation. 18th Infrantry, Machine Gun Battalion passing through Saint-Baussant, France, in advance upon Saint-Mihiel front, Sept. 13, 1918. At some point during the turbulent Atlantic crossing, Stubby was found out. For capturing an enemy spy, Stubby was put in for a promotion to the rank of sergeant by the commander of the 102nd Infantry. Courtesy of Division of Armed Forces/Smithsonian National Museum of America History. Stubby’s tale offers a glimpse of the American Army as it prepared to fight its first modern war—and later, of a bruised nation as it commemorated a victory obtained at unthinkable human costs. We would like you all to meet Stubby, Sergeant Stubby to be more accurate. In 1917, Stubby, a Pit Bull puppy with a “stubbed” tail, was living on the streets of New Haven, Connecticut near an Army training camp at Yale University. He endured an injury from a surprise grenade attack, and proceeded to bravely undergo surgery. But his story is worth revisiting, and not just as a cute, curious footnote. The dog sits in dappled sunlight, in a reflective pose on a wooden chair against a brick wall backdrop. Baldy of Nome, famed Alaskan sled dog, and his owner Allan “Scotty” Allan. The journey to the theater of war has the quality of legend—a scruffy, peculiarly American brand of myth. While Stubby was hailed with newspaper encomiums and ceremonial pomp, something was being glossed over: the grim details of life in the trenches, poison gas attacks, debilitating war injuries, death. Sgt Stubby was a mixed breed stray dog. He even captured a German soldier. He was a nothing dog who became a hero and was honored by three presidents. Sergeant Stubby was smuggled back into the U.S. by Conroy at the conclusion of the war, where he continued to build on his list of things dogs don’t normally get to do. Describing him as a dog of "uncertain breed," Ann Bausum wrote that: "The brindle-patterned pup probably owed at least some of his parentage to the evolving family of Boston Terriers, a breed so new that even its name was in flux: Boston Round Heads, American...and Boston Bull Terriers." He is the only dog that has been promoted to Sergeant through combat. Initially, he didn’t serve in an official capacity, but the dog was allowed stay with Conroy, even when he went on assignment as a dispatch rider delivering messages to command posts on horseback. Robert Conroy decided to bring Stubby … While there is very little written record about Stubby’s keeper, J. Robert Conroy, we do know that from 1913 on, his life was very much intertwined with the U.S. government. They took part in four major offensives—Aisne-Marne, Champagne-Marne, Saint-Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne—and 17 engagements. But the dog was also the perfect mascot for a war that had introduced human carnage on a scale never previously seen. Stubby, a bulldog terrier with a short, stubby tail. When did Sgt Stubby die? How about a small terrier? To the victor go the spoils: The Iron Cross medal that had been pinned to the German’s uniform thereafter adorned Stubby’s Army “coat.”. Pershing made a short speech, noting the soldier’s “heroism of highest caliber” and “bravery under fire.” The general solemnly lifted an engraved solid gold medal from its case and pinned it to the hero’s uniform. Stubby’s story started when he was found on Yale University Campus while a group of the 102nd Infantry was training. He became the first dog to be given rank in the United States Armed Forces. After the war, he worked as a bureaucrat, first for the Bureau of Investigation (predecessor to the FBI) at the Justice Department, then with military intelligence and finally on Capitol Hill as secretary for a Connecticut congressman. Miss Louise Johnson and Sergeant Stubby in a parade, May 1921. Stubby was there for the duration. The page includes an infuriated letter to the editor by Richard L. Richardson, a Great War veteran from San Angelo, Texas. Many veterans were haunted by their experiences in the trenches, but American and military culture did not encourage the airing of battlefield traumas. War dogs weren’t the only area in which the U.S. military was wanting. These exploits made the dog nothing less than a celebrity. Shellshock was regarded as a mental illness, the result of cowardice, a shameful disease. If you value our work, please disable your ad blocker. Sergeant Stubby, most likely a Boston terrier, was America’s first war dog. He is said to have captured a German spy. Many dogs, including Red Cross dogs, performed heroically. He met Presidents Wilson, Harding, and Coolidge. Stubby went on to become a very brave soldier who won lots of medals before reaching the age of two. His glory was even hailed in France, which also presented him with a medal. Saddlebags stocked with water and medical supplies were strapped to their backs. In the division of armed forces history at the Smithsonian National Museum of America History in Washington, there is a fascinating artifact, a testament to Stubby’s fame and the swath he cut across American popular culture in the immediate postwar years. Rags was another notable World War I dog. When it came time for the outfit to ship out, Conroy hid Stubby on boar… Now you might be wondering how other war dogs end up earning their rank. Homeless and apparently ownerless, he was adopted by Private J. Robert Conroy and began training with the 102nd Infantry’s 26 Yankee Division. Another well-known military dog was Sergeant Stubby, a Boston Bull Terrier who served in World War I. Sgt. For capturing an enemy spy, Stubby was put in for a promotion to the rank of Sergeant by the commander of the 102nd Infantry. When the time came to ship out for France, his new friend was not left behind. The attention seemed to bother him; the New York Times reported that the soldier was “a trifle gun shy, and showed some symptoms of nervous excitement.” When photographers snapped his picture, he flinched. The clippings in Conroy’s scrapbook conflict on many particulars of Stubby’s story: Was he wounded in the chest or in the left foreleg in Seicheprey? Harding officially received Stubby at the White House in 1921; in 1924, the dog passed review for Harding’s successor, Calvin Coolidge, three times. According to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, he was the first dog ever given rank in the U.S. Army. Stubby was a dog of “ uncertain breed “, most likely a Bull Terrier or Boston Terrier. Today I found out about Sergeant Stubby, the most decorated war dog of WWI. Stubby’s story begins in 1917, when a young private, J. Robert Conroy found a brindle puppy with a short tail at Camp Yale where his unit was undergoing basic training, according to the Smithsonian. Red Cross dogs, also called sanitary dogs or Sanitätshunde by the Germans, negotiated battlefields and no-man’s lands to aide wounded men. The hall was packed with dozens of members of the 102nd—field clerks, infantrymen, generals—but one soldier in particular commanded the spotlight. Fighting was so intense that Maj. George Rau, commander of the 102nd, ordered his cooks, truck drivers, and even the marching band into the fray. While it may seem surprising, a small terrier mix known as Stubby, is described to be one of the most decorated war dogs in the history of the US military! Stubby’s rage at the sight of a German was reportedly so “savage,” in the words of an Associated Press account, that “it was found necessary to tie him up when batches of prisoners were being brought back, for fear that trouserless Germans would be reaching the prison pens.”, In the Argonne, Stubby sniffed out a lost German soldier hiding in nearby bushes. In World war I. 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