With news of the use of dolphins for minesweeping Persian Gulf waters and chickens
and pigeons to detect chemical weapons aimed at our troops, I thought about past
accounts of birds used in battle.
One of the most famous birds was a carrier
pigeon named Cher Ami (Dear Friend) who was employed in World
War I
by the American forces. This bird made as many
as 25 sorties during the fighting. Its last sortie helped save the New York battalion
of the 77th US Infantry which had been holed up in a defensive line during the
Battle of the Meuse. This bird was the troops' last carrier pigeon left and
with a very succinct message placed in the canister on the bird's leg, the bird
was released. It flew up from the American trenches, but was shot down by German
troops. However, without hesitation this courageous bird once again flew up and
away. It arrived at headquarters with its message, which helped save the "Lost
Battalion" from certain death that would have resulted from what is now
known
as "friendly
fire." This
little one-legged bird went on to be awarded many medals for valor, including
France's Croix de Guerre. It died a year later, but it has been memorialized
by a permanent display in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Here are two of many links which may be of interest:
Cher
Ami by Harry Webb Farrington tells
the full story of Cher Ami's heroic flight, plus photo
and poem.
Cher
Ami Coloring Book is
a special 16-page kids' coloring book that you can download
and print.
