The Most Decorated Dog In History Read Online Free PDF

position where Pershing could decorate the dog for all to see, Stubby sat still and proud on his haunches as the medal was attached to his collar. He seemed to smile throughout the entire ceremony as if being at the centre of attention was his favourite place in the world. The medal was specially commissioned by the Humane Education Society (the forerunner of today’s Humane Society) and was made of gold bearing a simple inscription: ‘Stubby’.
    In his capacity as returned war hero, Stubby met three US Presidents: Wilson, Harding and Coolidge, who all treated the dog with the same respect the soldiers showed, especially when he saluted them in his own special way. The dog had become as much a soldier as he was still a dog but there were certain canine things he could never be denied. The YMCA gave him lifetime membership plus three bones a day and a place to sleep for the rest of his life. He continued to help his old friends, the American Red Cross with recruiting campaigns and sales of Victory Bonds. As a lifetime member of the American Legion, he marched in every legion parade and attended every convention from the end of the war until his death.
    Stubby was never going to need the three bones a day from the YMCA because he was heading home with his master, Private James Robert Conroy. When Conroy decided to study law at Georgetown University, Stubby went along too and in no time was mascot of the football team. He devised his own half-time show, nudging the ball along with his nose and having great fun along the way!
    This great American hero passed away in 1926 and the New York Times published an obituary that was three columns wide by half a page long. Not many human notables managed to command so many column inches, especially in death.
    A nation had taken this brave little battler to their hearts and didn’t really want to let him go. Monuments and statues were erected in his honour. The famous painting of the war dog by Charles Ayer Whipple still hangs in the regimental museum in New Haven. Most poignant of all perhaps, for those who, like his devoted master, wanted him to have a continuing presence for all to share, the remains of Stubby are on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. Museum. His coat is perfectly preserved.
    Maybe Stubby’s story says everything about a generation of young men sent to war to face the enemy knowing that millions of their counterparts had fallen before them. He was brave as they wanted to be brave. He protected his division as many others protected their own in battle. The Hotel Majestic lifted their ban on dogs for just one day. And that day was Stubby’s. Stubby was a hero, he was an inspiration but most of all, he was a dog.

Afterword
    ‘Nothing great is easy.’ Captain Matthew Webb was said to utter these words in 1875 after becoming the first person to swim the English Channel. If dogs could talk I’m sure those who have accompanied Servicemen and women into war would echo his sentiments. The focus and dedication any person or animal requires to survive adversity in any quantity can sometimes defy belief. Survival is often the prize for those prepared to go beyond the call of duty.
    The partnership of Czech airman Václav Robert Bozděch and Antis, the Alsatian puppy he rescued from the ruins of a French farmhouse, extended beyond the conflict of WWII. Trapped by political intrigue in post-war Czechoslovakia, Bozděch was forced to flee his homeland to safeguard his family. He could take only one thing with him – the dog he had saved and who had flown at his feet in a Wellington bomber. Antis remained his only link with his old and new life and his friend and protector until death.
    A dog can be one of the most entertaining distractions from the grim reality of war. And the chances of meeting such a loving and faithful companion when surrounded by fear and devastation must carry odds of millions to one. But luck was definitely on the side of a tiny