SERVICE & WAR DOGS

There are many heroes and heroines resting at Hartsdale, and while most of them rarely made headlines their feats of courage command highest recognition and honor. These are the pets who, by instinct, through loyalty and, sometimes training, were prepared to make any sacrifice on our behalf.

Dogs Of War
Someone once wrote that dogs have been used in the field of battle "almost since the beginning of wars, which date is only a few days later than the beginning of time".

Assyrian temple carvings depict great dogs straining at their leads during battle; ferocious dogs were at the siege of Corinth. During the Middle Ages, dogs dressed in coats of mail fought alongside men and by World War I, France was using dogs in action on a more sophisticated scale than ever before, training them to search for wounded men.

Other nations followed France's lead. The British used dogs as messengers; the Italians, to deliver food to mountainous regions; and, by 1915, the Germans six thousand war dogs had rescued more than four thousand wounded men. From 1914 to 1918 more than seven thousand dogs were killed in action.

The United States began training dogs for combat shortly after Pearl Harbor. A civilian volunteer group called Dogs for Defense set up a reception and training center in Fort Royal, Virginia. This group was later to be come officially recognized by the military when it was incorporated into the Quartermaster Corps as the unofficially named "K-9 Corps." At the height of World War II more than ten thousand dogs from the United States, plus thousands of Red Cross dogs from many nations were in action and the history of courageous service and unstinting valor by dogs in battle continued through the war in Vietnam.

Before being sent overseas, dogs were stationed in army camps where they received an intensive twelve-week training period, usually as sentry and patrol "soldiers." Out of the thousands who were "signed up" for duty, seven breeds were found to be most suitable - Belgian shepherds, German shepherds, collies, Airedales, Dobermans, giant schnauzers and Rottweilers.

While the noblest instincts are expressed at Hartsdale through the love, respect and devotion we have for our pets, another side of our nature is also represented in The Peaceable Kingdom. We are reminded of it through the majestic War Dog Memorial and by inscriptions on headstone that mention battle in alien lands.

Many dogs who served our country are represented here at The Peaceable Kingdom

A special ceremony is conducted at the foot of the war Dog Memorial every Memorial Day weekend to pay tribute not only to military dogs, but to all pets of service including dogs who assisted in the in the rescue mission in conjunction with the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building in 1994 as well as seeing eye dogs and police dogs.

Koehler
Among the dogs of war at Hartsdale is "Koehler" who was donated to the Red Cross at the beginning of World War I by the German family whose name he bore. Koehler served fearlessly in the front lines; his tail was shot off in battle, and he received a decoration for bravery. The plucky dog was returned to the Koehler family at the end of the war, but circumstances did not allow him to settle into his former life.

The change came about because Arthur D. Gerard, an officer of the United States occupation forces, was billeted in the Koehler home in Coblenz. As the scars of war lessened, the German family and American became friends and when Gerard's tour of duty came to an end, an extraordinary thing happened: the Koehlers, as a token of their esteem, presented Gerard with one of their dearest possessions-Koehler.

It could not have been easy for the family to part with their dog, but their love helped make the separation possible. They knew Koehler would have a better life in America; there would be no shortage of food, and he wouldn't have to put up with the hardships the destruction of war had dealt his homeland. And, of course, Koehler would be with someone that he and they cared for a great deal. So it must have been with a mixture of sadness and relief that they said goodbye to their pet and their friend as the two left for a place thousands of miles across the sea.

As many immigrants before had found, the journey to the New World was not an easy one for Koehler. Because of the vagaries of military rules and regulations, Gerard had to smuggle Koehler aboard a troopship in a cramped barrack's bag, and he had to keep Koehler confined and out of sight during the transatlantic crossing. Upon the ship's arrival in New York, Koehler had to face a tedious and frightening journey through customs before he was finally on the soil of his new land.

On these shores, Koehler had one more hurdle to clear before he could settle down. Arthur Gerard was single and had no proper home for the dog. Mrs. George Homer Martin of Tarrytown, New York, Gerard's favorite niece, came to the rescue. She happily accepted Koehler from her uncle and took him home to live amid well-earned tranquility and love for the rest of his life. The Martins remember those years more than half a century ago, and to this day they speak of the enrichment Koehler brought to them.

When Koehler died at the age of twelve, Mr. and Mrs. Martin chose a place for him at Hartsdale that reminded them of the Koehler's original home, and they still visit him on the hillside under the majestic tree where he is buried.

Joachim
Joachim, the most recent arrival at Hartsdale from the wars, was only seven weeks old when he was found in his war-torn country by an American lawyer who was serving in the Vietnam war. From the start the homeless puppy won the heart of the American.

Joachim's background was much different from Koehler's and Chips'. He hadn't come from a peaceful home and he hadn't been through formal training for war, but war was all he knew and he sensed what had to be done. A great lover of beer, he loved to toss down a few with the boys, but his head was always clear. One evening, despite the fact that he had been hitting the brew for hours, he sounded an alert moments before a sniper attack, and his quick act ion was credited with saving many lives.

When Joachim's owner was made a battalion commander they moved to another location with a refrigerator full of meat and one hundred pounds of high protein dog food.

After the war, Joachim and the commander prepared to go home to the States, but like Koehler years earlier, Joachim would have to sweat it out. When he arrived in this country, it was discovered that Joachim had an infectious disease and for awhile it was doubtful that he would be allowed in. However, the examining veterinarian relented after hearing about his heroism and after twenty seven hours in the air and those nerve-racking moments on the ground, Joachim reached his new home in Scarsdale, New York.

Life was a joy to Joachim in Westchester and he reverted to the puppy days that had been denied him. Away from the bombs and bloodshed of war, he was content to find his excitement in chewing on chairs and carpets.

Joachim showed his desire for peace when he tried to avoid a fight with a neighbor's dog who threatened him. Wishing not to fight, he turned toward home with a parting bark but never reached his destination. A speeding car ran him down.

Gentle, brave Joachim had survived the rigors of war, but man and machine claimed anyway.