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.
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.
