“The only scout dog team involved during the Korean conflict, the 26th ISDP took part in more than 1,500 combat patrols during the course of the war.”
By Michael Lemish
SUBMITTED FOR YOUR approval is a short narrative of a U.S. Army reconnaissance patrol that involves several characters.
The date is May 16, 1952. It’s nighttime. The place is somewhere in Korea. Leading the American squad of 16 men is Lt. Peter Jourdonnias. Opposing them, somewhere out in the darkness, is an unknown number of Chinese soldiers. Both sides are drawn together in a brutal war that will bring these combatants together… or perhaps not.
For the Americans have a weapon the Chinese do not possess – a scout dog named Arlo. And alongside this so-called weapon is his handler, Sgt. Jack North. Each side are separated by just a few hundred yards. It’s a deadly cat and mouse game between two opposing forces. Ultimately, what takes place during this encounter will not be decided by the men involved, but with a six-year-old German shepherd dog, that has just one purpose in mind – one that he was trained to do – to protect the men that follow him.
The plan was simple: the American infantrymen would leave their post at the MLR (main line of resistance) during the night and reconnoiter a road which might be used as a tank route north toward enemy held territory. The patrol is to check three bridges to see if they might support tanks. Jourdonnias was instructed not to engage the enemy unless absolutely necessary. The team is armed with two BARs, and sixteen M2 carbines. Each man carries 400 rounds of 30-caliber ammunition and two fragmentation grenades.
Sgt. North or Arlo were not on the point when the patrol first set out; the wind was on their backs. For a scout dog team to be effective it needs to be downwind of the enemy so the canine can pick up their quarries’ scent. After scouting the three bridges, North and Arlo are placed on the point. In his own words, North will later recall:
“After walking about 25 yards. Arlo gave me a very strong scent alert. I signalled for the group to drop to the ground and motioned for Lt. Jourdonnias to come forward. I told him that . . . someone was immediately ahead but, did not know how far. He [Jourdonnias] deployed 14 men on the right side of the road and two on the left. I remained on the road with Arlo.”
Jourdonnias ordered the patrol to remain in position until daylight. After about 30 minutes, Arlo suddenly sensed movement to the left. He stood alert and listening. None of his squad-mates could make out a sound. After 15 tense minutes, suddenly there was something. A noise ahead to the left. Human voices.
“Jourdonnais decided to move up the road to see if the enemy could be detected,” North remembered. “We moved about a 100 yards without further alert from the dog. The group returned to the MLR without incident, arriving about 0100. It is the alertness of the dog that saved the reconnaissance patrol from certain ambush.”
Did Arlo save the platoon? Who knows what might have happened had the dog not alerted the patrol. What is certain is that canine units save lives on the battlefield. They are masters of detecting the enemy.
The outcome of this particular patrol speaks for itself: Thanks to Aldo and his handler, everyone came back in one piece.
And this was just one patrol involving the handlers of 26th Infantry Scout Dog Platoon (ISDP). Yet it was not uncommon. The only scout dog team involved during the Korean conflict, the 26th ISDP took part in more than 1,500 combat patrols during the course of the war and just about everyone was conducted at night.
After the Second World War, the U.S. military gutted it dog programs; only the 26th ISDP remained active. Their mission during peacetime was to show the American public the capabilities of the military working dog in demonstrations around the country.
The 26th ISDP landed in Korea in July 1950, piecemeal, with just seven handlers and dogs. Others were soon to follow. Their missions were simple yet dangerous: have scout dogs provide a silent alert of the enemy during patrols, observation posts, and outposts forward of the allied battle position. Their effectiveness was well documented. In a review of after-action reports, patrols led by scout dog teams were credited with reducing causality rates by up to 65 per cent.
One scout dog in particular was noted for his service. An eight-year-old German shepherd named York (011X) was presented an Award for Distinguished Service. York led 148 combat patrols and never lost a man. He eventually returned to Fort Benning and was interred with honours at the age of 12.
As good as they were, patrols led by scout teams still suffered losses. A scout dog named Champ was on his 39th patrol when he stepped on a mine. Champ was killed instantly and his handler wounded severely. Scout dogs operating in Korea were not trained to alert to mines or booby-traps.
That didn’t stop one scout dog, Happy, from doing just that.
While on a nighttime patrol and working point, handler Alvin Steenick noticed his animal freeze in his tracks. It was not the type of alert that Steenick had seen before. He pushed the dog ahead but Happy refused to budge.
Steenick told the platoon leader that there must be some unknown danger ahead. The frustrated platoon leader dismissed the warning and stepped passed Happy. Second later, he tripped a booby trap. The blast killed both the platoon leader and Happy. Steenick suffered serious injuries.
In every American conflict since World War Two, military dog teams have contributed. Yet their accomplishments are often overlooked. The impact of military dogs may seem minuscule, but not if you happen to be one of the dozens perhaps hundreds of American soldiers who owes his life to one, the contributions of canines meant literally everything.
Robert Fickbohm was a handler with the 26th and worked with a dog named Hasso. In his book Cold Noses, Brave Hearts: Dogs and Men of the 26th Infantry Platoon Scout Dog, he pays tribute to these brave animals.
“Between June of 1951 and the end of the war on July 27, 1953, they [the 26th] were never put in reserve. They gave support to every United States Division and went on patrols with many United Nation Units. The members were awarded a total of three Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars for Valor, and 35 Bronze Stars for meritorious service. Too many of them earned Purple Hearts.”
Did the handlers and scout dogs like Happy, Champ,York, Hasso, Arlo, and many others, have an impact on the war? I suppose it depends on your perspective. But the Chinese obviously did respect them. When front lines stagnated, the Chinese sometimes would set up loudspeakers and pierce the quiet night with propaganda announcements aimed at American troops. On one occasion, which is documented in military records, they bellowed, “Yankee – Take your dog and go home!”
Michael Lemish is the author of Before Pearl Harbor: China, FDR and the Plot to Bomb Japan. His other books include War Dogs – A History of Loyalty and Heroism and Forever Forward – K-9 Operations in Vietnam. He has contributed to military documentaries produced by the BBC, Discovery, The History Channel and PBS. He has written for such publications as The American Legion Magazine, Aviation History, The Atlantic Flyer – General Aviation News and the scouting magazine Boy’s Life. He resides in Massachusetts along with his retired military working dog Lucy. You can visit him online at www.michaellemish.com.
Suggested further reading: Cold Noses, Brave Hearts: Dogs and Men of the 26th Infantry Scout Dog Platoon by Robert Fickbohm and Sandra Fickbohm Granger. Available from http://bookstore.xlibris.com/.
