
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 21, 1994                   TAG: 9407070088
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                 LENGTH: Medium

PENTAGON HONORS DOGS OF WAR WITH SCULPTURE

A life-size, black-and-gold bronze sculpture of a Doberman was unveiled Monday at the Pentagon in honor of the hundreds of dogs who gave their lives to save U.S. troops during World War II.

The monument, the nation's first to honor the heroic canines, will be transported to the Pacific island of Guam, where it will stand guard over the official war dog cemetery at the U.S. Naval Base in Orote Point, officials said.

The commemoration comes as part of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Guam. The battle for the island lasted from July 21 to Aug. 10, 1944, and claimed the lives of 6,900 Marines and soldiers and an estimated 18,500 Japanese.

The dogs, whose duties included leading scouting parties, exploring caves and serving as sentries, ``saved hundreds of lives on the island and thousands in the Pacific,'' said retired Lt. Gen. Claude Kicklighter, the executive director of the Pentagon's 50th Anniversary of World War II Commemoration Committee.

Ray Carlisle, president of the United Doberman Club, also spoke at the event and said the Doberman was chosen by the Marine Corps as its favorite war duty dog because it had been bred ``to be man's companion, guardian and protector.''

Many families during the war donated their pets so that they might be trained to aid soldiers in the war effort, and, until now, their service hadn't been recognized.

Ninety percent of the hundreds of dogs who served with the Marines and Army soldiers during the campaign were Dobermans.

``Dogs gave the Americans an extra edge. Assigned to the front line units and always in action, dogs and their handlers proved fearless and loyal fighters as they sniffed out snipers, explosives and ambushes saving countless American lives,'' the committee said in a statement.

Twenty-five war dogs were killed in action on Guam.

by CNB