A Dog With a Destiny

by Isabel George

  The General Gordon had brought them safely from Korea to Washington State to receive a heroes’ welcome. No one bothered them for paper or bag checks or anything other than to welcome them home. The GIs were loaded onto trucks and they sped through the streets of Tacoma and on to Fort Lewis. They were then sorted into sections suitable for their final destinations and assigned a bed in the US Army barracks. After two years on a cot in a tent, this felt like something approaching home comforts. There was fresh milk and steaks waiting for them and Smoky sampled a little of each before settling down on Bill’s bed for her first sleep in America.

  The next morning there was a reunion with the rest of 26th Photo Recon who had travelled on an earlier but slower ship. The guys were pleased to see Smoky had made it through all the red tape and was destined for a home in peacetime. They were saddened to hear that Duke had not made it. Randall had lost the dog in Fort Lewis. No one knew the details but they did know that Randall was distraught, as one of the ‘men’ Duke had endured so much for so long. Bill looked to the sky and thanked whoever it was who was looking after Smoky. They knew they were the lucky ones.

  The processing and the medical checks took four days to complete but at least the surroundings were pleasant and there was more fresh meat and milk for Smoky to enjoy. The troop trains had been waiting for them; Bill and Smoky were bound for Camp Atterbury, near Indianapolis, the closest separation centre to Ohio. Soldiers from all divisions of the Army came together on the trains: infantry, signal corps, the tank corps; they exchanged experiences and dreams for the future in a way that men feel they can only do in such extraordinary circumstances. For Bill, the future was clear. He was going home to Cleveland, to set a date to marry Margie. He had telephoned his mother with strict instructions not to tell Margie he was so close to home as he wanted to surprise her. Standing outside Margie’s front door, with Smoky under his arm, he knocked. Bill, tall, dark and handsome in his new olive drabs with Eisenhower jacket (his first new uniform in two years), opened the door and let Smoky into the living room. He heard Margie’s voice and could have cried. Smoky trotted up to Margie as if to say ‘hello’. They were home.

  What followed for Smoky was a life of adoration, decoration and total showbiz. Once the press in Bill’s home town of Cleveland heard that he was back and with a hero war dog there was no stopping them printing all the stories they could about this little hero of the war in the Pacific. Just a week after arriving home, Smoky’s story was splashed across the front page: Tiny Dog Home from the War! It had stolen column inches from the news of General Yamashita’s death sentence. Many times over, Bill was to tell the story of how he had bought Smoky for the equivalent of six dollars, flown twelve combat missions in Catalinas between Biak, Borneo and the Philippines with Smoky beside him. How she had saved the airstrip on Luzon and how she had been a friend to all throughout their two years serving through to Okinawa and Korea. There were the awards too – Yank Magazine’s SWPA Mascot 1943 was just one of them.

  Her special coat made from a green felt card table cover was bursting with medals. On the day they received their discharge papers, Bill not only received his civilian train money and mustering out pay, but he also received the due recognition of all who served as members of the 26th Photo Recon Squadron – the Asiatic Pacific campaign ribbon and eight battle stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with Battle Star, the Victory Medal with Battle Star and the Good Conduct Medal. A Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon with Oak Leaf Cluster was accompanied by silver crewman wings. Smoky wore those too.

  Arriving home to a place she had never known before, Smoky made good friends with the pets Bill had left at home: Lucky, a big, black and very intelligent cat and Toby his loyal dog. Bill was afraid that Toby would have forgotten him, but after a few puzzled looks and a quiet time just listening to Bill’s soft voice, it was as if he had never been away. They were old friends to Bill but new ones to Smoky and a new family for her too.

  Smoky’s new career included more hospital visits and travelling around to give shows. Providing the same kind of therapy for the injured soldiers now back home was a great comfort and Bill’s pioneering work with Smoky as a therapy dog provided a good template for this as an activity in the US. Bill also returned to the orphanage at Palm-erdale to give a show and received loud applause. His visits showed the sincere and valuable connection between animals and their ability to heal.

  Hollywood beckoned and as members of the Hollywood Animal Handlers’ Association Bill and Smoky made their big break on television in a programme called Castles in the Air which demonstrated Smoky’s fondness for dressing up. Bill got in on the act too with their dog and tramp act and the song, Mr Pokie and his Dog called Smoky.

  Bill retired from show business in 1954 taking Smoky with him. They were tempted back for the How to Train your Dog with Bill and Smoky show, which ran for an extended thirty weeks in 1954.

  Smoky died as all fireside heroes should, in the arms of his family. On 21 February 1957 Bill came home to find his ‘little pal lying on her side, asleep in death.’ It was agreed that she should be buried in a special place and there was none more special than a spot in Cleveland’s Metro Park under the tree on which Bill and Margie carved their initials in a heart one day in 1940. ‘Our tree’ was close to a clearing that Bill felt the perfect spot to lay Smoky to rest. Her tiny body, placed in a shoe box, was lowered carefully into the ground as the children wept over the loss of their little friend. Bill found it hard to hold back his own grief but knew he had to for his children. As he gathered stones to mark the grave, Bill thought of the times he had walked with Smoky in the New Guinea jungle and how they had entertained the troops bringing joy to a place that seemed incapable of witnessing laughter. This dog was a survivor. She was Smoky. The subject of six memorials in America all in praise of her huge bravery and unfathomable devotion.

  Bill wrote, ‘After I lost my dog, Pal … I felt so heart-sick and vowed never again to get that close to anyone, animal or human, again. But Smoky, the little tyke who shared so much with me, who, unquestioning and courageously responded to my every command, had become my truest friend.’ (From Yorkie Doodle Dandy – by William A. Wynne)

  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 Yorkshire terrier who somehow found herself in the centre of the war in the Pacific and then, miraculously, in the hands of US soldier, Bill Wynne. Smoky’s story could have been cut brutally short. But instead, thanks to her saviour, it was one of luck, survival, protection, heroism and lifelong devotion.

  Not every dog is cut out for active service and most, like Tangye, fall into it because they like being close to soldiers. From the dog’s perspective, the relationship could be based on the quality of the rations and the fuss and attention handed out. From the soldiers’ side it’s because so many cannot bear to see a helpless creature become a victim of cruel cir
cumstances or culture. And so it was that Tangye, a native Afghan pup, was rescued by British soldiers and taken to their hearts – and then taken home to the UK. His fearlessness in battle was rewarded with freedom. In another part of Afghanistan, Arms and Explosives search dog Treo was doing his part by locating deadly IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and saving hundreds of military and civilian lives.

  War has always been fought between nations, and dogs have always been included in the ranks. As companion or protector, Service ‘equipment’ or mascot, the dog will always give more of itself that first meets the eye. A dog will always give you more than any person could promise in courage, loyalty and love. A dog will always give greatly and go beyond the call of duty.

  Bibliography

  Farthing, Pen. One Dog at a Time, Ebury Press, 2009 Le Chêne, Evelyn. Silent Heroes, Souvenir Press, 1994 Richardson, Anthony. One Man and His Dog, Harrap, 1960

  Ross, Hamish. Freedom in the Air, Pen and Sword, 2007 St Hill Bourne, Dorothy. They Also Serve, Winchester Publications, 1957

  Wynne, William A. Yorkie Doodle Dandy – A Memoir, Wynnesome Press, 1996

  About the Author

  ISABEL GEORGE was born in Shropshire, where her family encouraged her early passion for animals and history. A degree in English and History opened a door to the public relations department of veterinary charity PDSA.

  Isabel’s interest in animals giving loyal service to the Armed Forces began with her father sharing stories of the Royal Navy mascots he met in his twenty-five years in the Senior Service. Not all of the stories had a happy ending, but all told of the unique bond that exists between service men and women and their animal companions in times of peace and conflict.

  Isabel now lives in Shropshire with her three children, two hamsters and an almost-human Jack Russell, fox terrier cross called Scrumptious.

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  Copyright

  First published by HarperElement 2010

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  © Isabel George 2012. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Isabel George asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

  A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN 978-0-00-737151-8

  EPub Edition © 2012 ISBN: 9780007478859

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