Sergeant Stubby is the most decorated war dog in American history. Sergeant Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the 26th “Yankee” Division in WW1. He was a stray dog that was found by a soldier from New Haven, Connecticut. He is one of only two animals to be promoted to sergeant through combat and is the only animal to be awarded a medal from the Humane Society for bravery under fire. The First World War was a major war centered in Europe that began on 28 July 1914. Fought by the Entente Allies and the Central Powers, it led to millions of deaths and caused catastrophic damage across Europe.
Sergeant Stubby was born in 1917 in New Haven, Connecticut, and adopted by J. Robert Conroy, a Yale University law student from Massachusetts who volunteered for military service as an artillery officer with the 27th Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division when America entered World War I in 1917. Sergeant Stubby had an amazing sense of smell and hearing. He would warn his comrades about incoming artillery shells by barking. He also helped to locate wounded soldiers on the battlefields.
In 1917, Sergeant Stubby served as a sentry for his regiment’s campsite and warned them of an impending gas attack by barking and growling at the enemy soldiers. He also helped locate wounded soldiers on the battlefield and warn them of incoming fire from friendly forces so they could take cover.
In 1918, Sergeant Stubby saved his regiment from being gassed again by warning them of another gas attack. He also alerted them to an attack that was coming their way. He served with them for eighteen months and participated in seventeen battles on the Western Front, including four offensives and two major defensive operations. In February 1918, while on maneuvers near Chaumont-Devant-Damvillers, France, Conroy found a stray dog that followed him back to camp. The pup was a mixed breed terrier named “Stubby”
He saved countless lives by warning soldiers of incoming shells and gas attacks, locating wounded soldiers, and providing relief from heat exhaustion. In addition to his service at the front, Sergeant Stubby also participated in parade ceremonies with other units in France before being sent home in 1919. He also helped to capture an enemy trench and find lost soldiers on the battlefields of France.
He was wounded in action on October 8, 1918, by a German soldier’s machine-gun fire and lost his right leg. This didn’t stop him from saving his regiment from enemy fire and carrying messages between the front lines and headquarters for 18 months until the end of the war.
He received several medals for his service including Purple Heart, Gold Star (for being wounded in action), Croix de Guerre (French Medal of Honor), and Rags of War (a British medal given to animals). After the war, Sergeant Stubby was made an honorary member of the 102nd Infantry Regiment. He died in 1926 and is buried at the American Legion Hall. It is said that he left behind over 500 descendants. The 102nd Infantry Regiment was a unit of the United States Army during World War I and World War II. It is nicknamed “The One Hundred Second”.
The First World War lasted for four years, two months, and fourteen days with an estimated nine million military and civilian casualties as a direct result of the war. Alongside this, another five million deaths were caused by the influenza pandemic of 1918 which followed closely on from WW1. Sergeant Stubby: An Unlikely Hero is an animated film that tells the story of a stray dog who became a hero during World War I. It was directed by Richard Lanni and written by James Ryan. The film was released on November 9, 2019, in the United States.
The movie follows the story of Sergeant Stubby, a stray Pit Bull Terrier who saves his owner’s life and becomes a hero during World War I. The film shows how he served in the trenches with his human friends and saved lives in battle. It also shows how he helped capture an enemy spy and defended his platoon from mustard gas attacks.
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