[Chainmail]

We had Scout Dogs with our Marine infantry units in 1966-7. They were very large, ferocious animals, trained to sense the enemy under the control of a single handler. If that handler was wounded or killed, we had instructions to shoot that dog immediately or it would turn on us.

I owe my life to one of those dogs. We were stopped for the evening at a deserted village and I had radio watch for the three radio nets: company command, platoon security and Conduct of Fires, and the radios hissed while I listened to the three handsets. In the total dark, an infiltrator approached me and the sound of my radios and even though I sensed somebody was near, I couldn't see a thing.

Suddenly I heard a shot, .45 go off and I saw the flash to my right. I asked "who shot?" and I heard "Dog Handler". I asked "why and he said "Dog saw something; I pointed the .45 in the direction he was looking and fired".

I stayed awake all night and when it got light I saw a man dressed only in black shorts lying on his back with a submachinegun hanging from a boot lace around his neck and the top of his head was gone. The dog handler's shot hit him in the side of his head while he was just a couple of yards away from me.

[PROCON]

I envy your memory, I’ve rubbed most of what happened in Vietnam out of my memory banks, and I wasn’t out in the bush like you.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Chainmail, and thank you for sharing your experience with one of the scout dogs.

We thank you for your service to our country.

[Kathy in Alaska]

And rounding out the top three....Chainmail bags the bronze!!