In March, 1942 a call went out for Americans to volunteer their dogs for war service. The Wren Family of Pleasantville, New York answered the call, and their family pet Chips was sent to the U.S. Army. His departure is shown above. After training, Chips was assigned to work with Private John P. Rowell, and he served in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. Chips' first brush with fame came when he was guard dog at the Casablanca Conference between Roosevelt and Churchill.
The photo above was taken near an Italian bunker that Chips caused to surrender on July 10, 1943. After machine gunners wounded some soldiers in Chips' group, he broke loose from his handler and jumped through the narrow opening to the bunker. In so doing, he knocked over the machine gun and got hold of a gunner by the neck, causing the entire gun crew to surrender. Later that day, he joined in the capture of an additional ten prisoners.
General Eisenhower himself (at left above) recognized Chips' bravery
and officially made him a Private, First Class.
Good dogs deserve rewards, and Chips didn't just get an occasional doughnut. He was also awarded the Purple Heart, the Silver Star, and the Distinguished Service Cross. It was later decided that dogs could not receive medals, but Chips was allowed to keep his.
At the end of the war, Chips was returned to a joyful Wren Family. Although he isn't in the picture above, it shows the "Return to Civilian Life" retraining program used to make war dogs suitable to be family pets once again. Chips lived out his days in peace with his loving family.
Chips continues to serve his nation by having been the model for the National War Dog Memorial.
Lena Toritch created this beautiful bronze statue of Chips. What a fine boy he was!
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