Sergeant Stubby.

In memory of the fallen.

Sergeant Stubby 1916 or 1917 - March 16th 1926.

Nobody knows exactly when Sergeant Stubby was born as he was found as a stray wandering across Yale field Connecticut during an army training session making friends with all the soldiers, One soldier especially liked him. His name was Corporal Robert Conroy. Conroy named him Stubby probably because of his short stubby tail. Corporal Conroy was so smitten with Stubby that when it came time to ship out to the Western Front, he smuggled the dog onto the vessel bound for France. Even when he was discovered, he was allowed to remain with Conroy and so found himself on the Western Front in the thick of combat.

Sergeant Stubby soon became the mascot of the 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division. He learned the bugle calls, the drills, and even a modified dog salute as he put his right paw on his right eyebrow when a salute was executed by his fellow soldiers. Stubby had a positive effect on morale, and was allowed to remain in the camp, even though animals were forbidden. When the division shipped out for France aboard the SS Minnesota, Private Conroy smuggled Stubby aboard. Hidden in the coal bin until the ship was far at sea, Stubby was brought out on deck where the sailors were soon won over by the canine soldier. Stubby was once again smuggled off the ship and was soon discovered by Pvt. Conroy's commanding officer. The CO allowed Stubby to remain after Stubby gave him a salute. When the Yankee Division headed for the front lines in France, Stubby was given special orders allowing him to accompany the Division to the front lines as their official mascot.

Stubby was injured once due to shrapnel from a grenade, and at least once from gas exposure.  After each injury, Stubby was treated at nearby hospitals just like the two-legged soldiers, and like the two-legged soldiers, when he was well enough to be moved, he was taken to a Red Cross Recovery Hospital.   When Stubby became well enough to move around at the hospital, he began to spend his time visiting the wounded soldiers and socializing with the nurses.   Stubby's actions at the hospital proved a great asset in improving the morale of the injured soldiers.   Soon, Stubby's recovery was complete and he was returned to his Division.   

Stubby's experience with the gas made him sensitive to even the smallest amount.   Due to his sensitivity to gas, Stubby was responsible for saving his entire company.   When an early morning gas attack was launched by the Germans, the men in Stubby's portion of the trenches were sleeping, unaware that a gas attack had been launched.   As soon as he picked up the smell of the gas, Stubby ran through the trench barking and biting at the soldiers shirts and boots waking them.  Soon, as a result of Stubby's actions, the gas alarm was sounded and many men were saved from injury.  With his job done, Stubby left the trench to avoid the gas and didn't return until he felt it was safe.

Stubby also became an expert in locating wounded men in the "no man's land" between the trenches of the opposing armies.   Stubby would listen for injured and lost men shouting in English.  He would then go out to them and bark for paramedics or lead the uninjured ones back to the safety of the trenches.  

His acute doggy hearing, allowed him the advantage of hearing even the quietest sounds from advancing enemy and so Stubby proved excellent at silently alerting his comrades when he could hear the enemy was near. His major triumph was hearing a German spy who had tried to sneak into Conroy's camp during the dead of night. The loyal and diligent Stubby managed to grab the intruder's leg and immobilize him until Conroy and other troops came to investigate and imprison the German. He also asserted himself as a 'mercy' dog, scanning the battle fields for injured soldiers and comforting them whilst they lay dying or alerting paramedics to the wounded. 

Sergeant Stubby passed away in his sleep in 1926 at the (approximate) age of ten. Nowadays his taxidermized corpse is featured with its own exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Sergeant Stubby the most decorated dog in history kindle edition.