The
Dogs Who Died So Others May Live
by Linda Anderson
John Burnam, a highly decorated
combat veteran, shared with Angel Animals a story about his war
dog Clipper. John was featured in the War Dogs documentary. His book is
titled DOG TAGS OF COURAGE.
After John enlisted in an elite infantry
outfit and was assigned to Camp Alpha, where he'd been previously
stationed when he first came to Vietnam, he was sent to Dau Tieng.
He describes his new assignment as "a small, remote, dusty
base camp situated in the middle of a rubber tree plantation."
There John signed up to be a dog handler for a scout dog team.
After John's first dog Timber was injured, he partnered withClipper, a friendly, playful, and very intelligent animal.
John taught Clipper how to detect trip wires and hidden enemy
soldiers and equipment. Clipper taught John how to understand
signals the dog used to alert his handler to danger--a sudden
pause, flick of an ear, or sniff of the air. John says, through
weeks of training and working together, "We became teammates
and friends."
John writes:
"The enemy was a master of hit-and-run
tactics. One day an American patrol was under attack. The enemy
detonated mines, wired high in the rubber trees, instantly killing
and wounding several men. My platoon was called in to help.
"After crossing a narrow road, a deafening
explosion shredded the legs of a soldier who stepped through
a booby trap wire. Fearing further casualties, Clipper and I
took the lead, while the remaining patrol formed a single file
behind us. Clipper walked slowly forward, about thirty yards,
and paused briefly. Clipper moved left a few feet and then forward
again. Clipper repeated the maneuver of weaving right and left
around the rubber trees for several hundred yards. My eyes stayed
glued on Clipper's head and ears.
"The troops, following behind, spotted
and marked a booby trap at each location where Clipper changed
directions. When I reached the outer edge of the rubber trees,
I waited for the platoon leader to catch up. As the men filed
by, many reached down to pat Clipper's head and thank him for
finding the booby traps. Clipper's extraordinary instincts and
training led the troops to safety beyond the maze of death traps."
Before John had to leave Dau Tieng after the TET offensive, he
tearfully said good-bye to his courageous friend. It broke his
heart that Clipper and the other war dogs would never be given
the hero's welcome home that they deserved.
For much more
information and many inspiring stories of dogs and their handlers
in Vietnam, visit the Vietnam Dog Handler's Association Web site
at www.vdhaonline.org.
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