U.S. animals are now eligible to receive the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery for heroic acts performed in the service of America.
One horse, five dogs, and two pigeons were bestowed with the honor on Capitol Hill last week in a ceremony attended by more than 300 military service members, veterans, lawmakers, animal lovers, and service animals.
Sgt. Reckless, a warhorse who served in the Korean War, was among those honored after having carried more than 9,000 pounds of ammunition in dozens of round trips in rugged, icy terrain during the Battle for Outpost Vegas in 1953. The mare was known to former senator and Korean War veteran John Warner, who said of the horse, “Let the record show: Sergeant Reckless was a lot more courageous than I.”
Carrier pigeon G.I. Joe posthumously received the medal for carrying vital messages to Allied troops during World War II that saved more than 100 servicemen. The pigeon, who died 58 years ago and appeared at the ceremony inside a plexiglass display box, flew 20 miles in 20 minutes to deliver the message that stopped a bombing that would have cost lives through friendly fire. A caretaker for G.I. Joe emotionally patted the bird’s case as he recalled the pigeon’s bravery that day.
Other animals honored in the ceremony included a pigeon, Cher Ami, who was shot down by Germans in World War I while attempting to carry a message that artillery was being dropped on Allied troops. The bird, with one leg barely attached, resumed flight and delivered the lifesaving message.
Three dogs who were given posthumous awards included Lucca, who lost a leg in Afghanistan while searching for roadside explosives, Stormy, a German Shepherd who helped coral enemy soldiers during Vietnam, and Chips, a pet huskie whose family volunteered his assistance during World War II.
Two living dogs were also honored during the ceremony: Bass, a Belgian Malinois, who served as a multipurpose canine in the Marine Corps’s Special Operations Command, and Bucca, a former stray who became an arson-detector for the New York Fire Department.
“I think dogs should rate awards, for sure,” said Staff Sgt. Alex Schnell, Bucca’s handler-turned-pet parent. “They’re out there on the ground, just like service members are. A lot of times they get put in the most dangerous positions, because they’re out in front.”
The award was founded by Robin Hutton, an author who has penned books about Reckless and other brave wartime animals. After receiving an honorary award for Reckless in the United Kingdom in 2016, Hutton was inspired to bring such an honor to the United States, where nothing similar had ever existed. Hutton’s charity Angels Without Wings and the National Marine Corps League sponsored the event in Washington, D.C. Hutton would like to make the award ceremony for brave animals an annual affair and eventually open a museum in Washington, D.C. honoring U.S. service animals.
Interest in the ceremony was piqued by the recent stories of heroism from Conan, a Belgian Malinois who was injured as he assisted in last month’s raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. President Trump praised Conan multiple times on social media, telling the nation of his bravery and praising the dog as having completed a “good job.”
