Combat dogs are frequently considered German Shepherds or Belgian Malinois. However, a Yorkshire Terrier called Smoky likewise served on the frontlines of the South Pacific throughout WWII. She even went on to be acknowledged as the very first tape-recorded treatment dog by Animal Planet.
In February 1944, Smoky was discovered by an American GI in a trench on New Guinea. Interestingly, the fully-grown Yorkie didn’t comprehend commands in English or Japanese and her origin stayed a secret. Smoky was offered to Army Air Force Cpl. William A. Wynne for 2 Australian pounds, the equivalent of $6.44 in 1944, to go back to a poker video game.
Smoky accompanied Wynne on his tasks throughout the rest of the war. Since she wasn’t a main military dog, Smoky did not get dog provisions or healthcare. Instead, Wynne fed her from his own C-rations and Spam. She flew on 12 air/sea rescue and picture reconnaissance fight objectives, being in a pack near the gunner’s stations aboard the OA-10 Catalina. Smoky likewise made it through 150 air raids on New Guinea, a hurricane on Okinawa and made 8 fight stars throughout WWII.
Beyond offering friendship to Wynne, Smoky likewise dealt with the battleground. During the Luzon campaign, the Signal Corps required to run a telephone wire through a 70-foot-long, eight-inch-wide pipeline on an airfield. Rather than collect the taxiway and devote workforce to the job, Smoky handled the task.
Wynne connected the wire to her collar and called her from the other end of the pipeline. Sand already filled part of the pipeline, offering her simply 4 inches of clearance in some locations. However, Smoky made it through and made much appreciation and love from the soldiers. According to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Wynne likewise credited Smoky for conserving his life by notifying him to an opponent attack.
After the war, Smoky returned with Wynne to Cleveland, Ohio, and the 2 were included in a story by the Cleveland Press. For the next ten years, they appeared in Hollywood with Smoky carrying out techniques like walking a tightrope blindfolded. In 42 live television broadcasts, Smoky never ever duplicated a technique.
More notably, Smoky’s home entertainment brought terrific convenience to injured soldiers. During the war, she checked out soldiers at the 233rd Station Hospital in New Guinea. Dr. Charles Mayo, of Mayo Clinic popularity, was the commander and enabled Smoky to go on rounds with nurses and sleep with Wynne in his health center bed. After the war, Wynne and Smoky checked out veterans’ healthcare facilities, placing on efficiencies and offering vital treatment to clients.
On February 21, 1957, Smoky passed away. Wynne buried her in a .30-caliber ammunition can in Cleveland Metroparks in Lakewood, Ohio. On November 11, 2005, a memorial with a bronze statue was put up over Smoky’s burial website. It is committed to “Smoky, the Yorkie Doodle Dandy, and the Dogs of All Wars.” In 2020, the statue was contributed to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and positioned in front of their OA-10 with a summary of her service.
Feature Image: Bill Wynne
