`War Dogs,' `K-9 Soldiers' Detail Heroism Of Man's Best Friend In The Field Of Battle

If you're a dog lover, action-films aficionado and an avid reader, "K-9 Soldiers: Vietnam and After" may be just the kind of adventure to get your adrenalin flowing.

Scenarios in this colorful new volume by Paul B. Morgan (Hellgate Press, $13.95) range from the thickly forested war zones of South Vietnam in the 1960s and '70s to K-9 security duty in United States' businesses, where the German shepherd's trademark qualities of bravery, moxie and versatility are keenly exemplified.

The Vietnam War was different from any Americans ever fought. In the others, the opponents were coming at U.S. troops from all sides. Here, you often didn't have a clue where they were hiding until it was too late.

Hence, the German shepherd, whose hearing is 20 times keener than its handlers', represented a fighting chance for America's foot patrols.

One of the best was Suzie, a 45-pounder that could scent explosives, detect drugs and identify Viet Cong in seconds. In fact, Morgan and Suzie were so effective they had prices on their heads.

Suzie was a personal dog of the author's, not an Army issue. Morgan obtained her from a French priest, Father Tu, in exchange for a .38-caliber pistol and a set of sterling silver rosary beads.

"The best trade I ever made," says Morgan.

Tu, president of Suzie's fan club, said, "God protects dogs from the knowledge of death so they will be brave and serve their fellow man. Because of their unconditional love, devotion, humility and honesty, all dogs are rewarded in the afterlife with the equivalent of heaven."

Suzie was, as I like to characterize, a Velcro dog - she accompanied Morgan everywhere - in foxholes, on the point in jungle probes, rescue missions of downed helicopter crews, on parachute jumps (yes, that's right), and in interrogation sessions.

If there's a shortcoming in this crisp, fluid narrative, however, it's the author's failure to give some closure to the status of each four-legged companion.

For instance, after myriad details of Suzie's heroics, Morgan shifts scenes. He suddenly reflects on returning stateside after his first Vietnam tour and discusses an assignment as the Army Operations officer for the Armed Forces Police in New York City.

But what happened to Suzie? Was she left behind in Vietnam with a new handler? Did she accompany him to the U.S. and become his personal pet? We're left hanging.

Morgan said, during a phone interview from his Smithtown, N.Y., home, Suzie was returned to the priest. He later found the dog had died but didn't ask under what circumstances.

On a second tour of duty in Vietnam, beginning in 1970, his new partner was Polar Bear, a white German shepherd that had been wounded in the face and left shoulder by small-arms fire. Polar Bear's previous partner had been killed in action and the dog had turned on every soldier who attempted to befriend him. Eventually, Morgan and Polar Bear struck up a friendship that was to last only about a year before the gallant dog was killed in action by mortar fire.

A good portion of the soft-cover volume is devoted to Morgan's return home and establishing a small K-9 patrol service in Lexington, Ky.

While the author's dog-duty detail is sharp - because of his access to military-police records - some of the volume's production leaves a bit desired. On two occasions, the review copy I received had duplicate pages.

Throughout "K-9 Officers," Morgan's reliance on his four-legged partners draws a major emphasis. This, consequently raises the question: Have the armed-services canines been given short shrift in this country?

Many would argue a resounding yes.

An incident in the closing chapter is a case in point. When Morgan, his wife and their German shepherd Cody approached the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Veterans Day 1994 to participate in a special ceremony, they were turned away by a Park Service ranger because dogs were not allowed at the wall.

Even after explaining they were to participate in the ceremony, they were directed to leave the area. As they headed to a nearby open field they quickly found themselves surrounded by about 50 veterans, many of whom were members of the Vietnam Dog Handler Association. "Welcome home" was the constant upbeat greeting.

Representatives from many units participated. Morgan and Cody were invited by two members of the VDHA to accompany them to the wall - the same site from which they had been ejected an hour earlier.

The VDHA veterans carried a wreath memorializing approximately 4,000 dogs and their handlers who served in America's longest war. Cody sat at the foot of the wreath once the procession was completed, eying the big crowd.

Did this provide some closure for Morgan to the Vietnam experience?

"It was nice to have the visual recognition for the dog, but there's much more work to be done to get these dogs the respect and recognition they deserve," he says.

Some of that may come early next year.

Last February, Nature's Recipe Pet Foods and Discovery Channel took a giant step in that direction with the presentation of a powerful new video, "War Dogs: America's Forgotten Heroes," narrated by Martin Sheen.

The video, which was available free earlier this year with the purchase of Nature's Recipe products, will air again on Discovery Channel Sept. 13. If you haven't seen it, don't miss it. It features numbing, emotional interviews with handlers and stark scenes of the dogs in action.

Here are a couple of examples:

"We were attached to these dogs," said handler Spencer Dixon. "These animals had feelings; they hurt; they cried; they got sad; they got happy; they saved a lot of boys' lives."

"Without Toro," adds Carl Dobbins, another handler, "there's no way I'd have made it back to the United States. I wouldn't have made it probably three months without Toro."

More than $1 million in donations for two war-dog memorials have poured in since the airing of the documentary. The first is scheduled to be dedicated most likely on city property across the street from the main entrance to the Riverside (Calif.) National Cemetery on President's Day. A second is slated for Washington, D.C., at a site to be determined after considerable political red tape is untangled.

Noted sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg will create both, which depict a soldier and his dog emerging into the environment of combat. Both man and dog reflect a tense feeling of anxiety as they look off into the fields of impending danger. The inscription will read: "They protected us on the field of battle. They watch over our eternal rest. We are grateful."

Schomberg adds, "The War Dog Memorial is an example. It provided an opportunity to combine an extremely moving story of the undying devotion of these war dogs with a unique work of art, one that I feel will provide a meaningful image."

The Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Cemeteries and Memorials in June rejected the placement of the War Dog Memorial in the Riverside cemetery.

Roger R. Rapp, acting undersecretary for memorial affairs, said, "The advisory committee believed this memorial was commemorating the dog instead of the men and women who served in defense of our nation. Our national cemeteries serve as shrines to the individuals who served and who are interred in these sacred grounds. It was thought that a memorial to war dogs or to any other animal incidental to military service would be inappropriate for placement in a national cemetery."

Conversely, "There'd be a lot more than 50,000 names on the Vietnam Wall without these dogs, and I don't think the average American even knows the role they played," emphasizes Dr. John Kubisz, a veterinarian serving with the 764th Veterinary Detachment in Vietnam.

The memorials would still be a distant dream rather than an approaching reality had it not been for the conviction of Jeffrey P. Bennett, co-executive producer of the video and founder, president and chief executive officer of Nature's Recipe Pet Foods.

"Unlike other soldiers, and the dogs that served in other wars," explains Bennett, "these dogs never received medals or any other kind of recognition for their heroic efforts. America has never sufficiently thanked these dogs and the documentary gave us that chance.

"I knew very little about the role of these dogs before I became involved in this project. But when you consider their heroics and the lives they saved, how can you turn your back on them?"

In a July 9 correspondence to Rapp, Bennett asked Department of Veterans Affairs advisory committee to reconsider a formal review of the War Dog Memorial: "Contrary to the committee's conclusions, war dogs are not incidental to military service. I have thoroughly researched the outstanding history of such animals and without the heroic efforts of these dogs, the number of wounded and killed veterans would have been much, much higher.

"The memorial is classic, consistent in tone and imagery with existing U.S. war memorials and masterfully captures a powerful picture in American history where soldier and dog sacrificed safety for country."

Bennett was overwhelmed by the nationwide response for donations after the documentary aired in February. "The bulk came in $5, $10 and $20 denominations," he said, from average citizens. Two large contributions were made - by Bennett and the H.J. Heinz Co., owner of Nature's Recipe Pet Foods.

After World War II, surviving K-9 dogs were sent home to their families with honorable discharges. Conversely, as Americans fled South Vietnam, the dogs who some estimate may have saved as many as 10,000 American lives were left behind and labeled "surplus."

Of the 8,000 men who served in K-9 units during the Vietnam War, 230-plus were killed in action. Of the 4,000 dogs that served, 281 were "officially" listed as killed in action, but only 190 were returned home at the end of the war.

Sometimes we have a lot of trouble saying thanks, don't we.

P.S.: With a $25 or larger donation to the War Dog Memorial Fund, you can receive a copy of the "War Dogs, America's Forgotten Heroes" video. Checks should be made payable to War Dog Memorial Fund and mailed to Nature's Recipe Pet Foods, 341 Bonnie Circle, Corona, CA 91720 Attn: Laura Benge

"War Dogs" T-shirts, hats, posters and a CD are also available, with all proceeds going to the fund. These can be viewed on the Web site: www.WAR-DOGS.com