Books : Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII
Price: $89.00 as of 03/20/2010 05:15 EDT details
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.548173
EAN: 9780743201988
ISBN: 0743201981
Label: Free Press
Manufacturer: Free Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: May 16, 2001
Publisher: Free Press
Studio: Free Press
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Twenty-three-year-old Bill Putney enlisted in the Marines in 1943 in search of military glory. Instead, Putney, a licensed veterinarian, was relegated to the Dog Corps.
Putney became the Commanding Officer of the 3rd War Dog Platoon, and later the chief veterinarian and C.O. of the War Dog Training School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. At Lejeune Putney helped train America's dogs for war in the Pacific. He later led them into combat in the invasion of Guam in 1944, the first liberation of American soil in World War II.
Always Faithful is the story of the dogs that fought in Guam and across the islands of the Pacific, a celebration of the four-legged soldiers that Putney both commanded and followed. It is a tale of immense courage, but also of incredible sacrifice.
On Guam, as on islands such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the Japanese were infamously tenacious, refusing to surrender as long as there was a hole left to crawl into. Rooting out the enemy was an awful, painstaking job. To this task, Putney's dogs were well suited. Used for scouting, attack, carrying messages, detecting mines, and also as guards, the war dogs were so well trained that they could locate nonmetallic mines that had been buried for months deep underground; their hearing was so precise they could detect enemy trip wires by listening to them "sing" in the breeze.
Their record in action was perfect. More than 550 patrols on the island of Guam were led by dogs; not one patrol was ambushed. But for this success, the dogs, always out in front, paid a terrible price. Although Putney worked feverishly as veterinarian and C.O. to keep the dogs alive, many were lost.
After the war, Putney returned home only to discover that the dogs he had served with were being put to sleep. These dogs were ex-household pets, recruited from civilians with the promise that they would someday be returned. Outraged, Putney fought for the dogs' right to go home. He won, and headed the overwhelmingly successful program to "detrain" the dogs so they could return to their families. Alas, quickly learned, the lesson was quickly forgotten. The dogs of Korea and Vietnam did not come home. Then, in the final days of his administration, President Clinton signed into law a bill that allows military handlers to bring home the dogs with which they work. Once again, Putney was at the front of the charge.
For anyone who has ever read Old Yeller, or the books of Jack London, here is a real-life story, never before told, that beats any fiction. At once wistful tribute and stirring adventure, Always Faithful describes what may be the greatest man-dog effort of all time. It will both astound and move you.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
My family has always had dogs. I love dogs and I was not sure if I could read much of this book. I dreaded one heart-breaking story after another about bad things happening to defenseless dogs.
I had no need to worry. William Putney is no doubt an excellent veterinarian and a caring individual, but as a writer, he should stay being a veterinarian. However, this book is not a literary work, its purpose is to campaign for dogs generally and army dogs in particular - and that is how it reads. ... Read More
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What a book. For the Doberman lover, this is a must read. The tribute to these dogs should be deemed a classic.
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I've owned a German Shepherd ex-police dog, so I had read of their involvement in Vietnam (and it still makes me beyond livid that they met the fate they did at the end of THAT mess!); I had NOT known of the involvement of the Dobermans in WW II. Friends of mine had a Doberman, and I grew to love the breed through him. While I hate the use of dogs in war (I also hate the use of humans in them!), I greatly enjoyed many of the stories about these dogs and the success the Marines had with Dobermans ... Read More
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This is a really good book. I think it would be even more appreicated by former Marines of this era. They could understand the military jargon and terminolgy a lot better then a lay person could like me. Still, a very good and informative book.
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Though I had the impression there would be more "action" out of the dogs remembered in this writing, it was still an interesting read for anyone that respects and admires what dogs can do for humans in the line of service. Certainly no regrets with the purchase.
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