WW2: Hero Dog, Judy the Pointer

 Judy, a purebred pointer, was the mascot of several ships in the Pacific, and was captured by the Japanese in 1942 and taken to a prison camp. There she met Aircraftsman Frank Williams, who shared his small portion of rice with her.

Judy raised morale in the POW camp, and also barked when poisonous snakes, crocodiles or even tigers approached the prisoners. When the prisoners were shipped back to Singapore, she was smuggled out in a rice sack, never whimpering or betraying her presence to the guards.

The next day, that ship was torpedoed. Williams pushed Judy out of a porthole in an attempt to save her life, even though there was a 15-foot drop to the sea. He made his own escape from the ship, but was then recaptured and sent to a new POW camp.

pc: wikipedia

He didn't know if Judy had survived, but soon he began hearing stories about a dog helping drowning men reach pieces of debris after the shipwreck. And when Williams arrived at the new camp, he said: "I couldn’t believe my eyes! As I walked through the gate, a scraggly dog hit me square between the shoulders and knocked me over. I’d never been so glad to see the old girl!"

They spent a year together at that camp in Sumatra. "Judy saved my life in so many ways," said Williams. "But the greatest of all was giving me a reason to live. All I had to do was look into those weary, bloodshot eyes and ask myself: 'What would happen to her if I died?' I had to keep going."

Once hostilities ceased, Judy was then smuggled aboard a troopship heading back to Liverpool. In England, she was awarded the Dickin Medal (the "Victoria Cross" for animals) in May 1946. Her citation reads: "For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners, and also for saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness".

pc: wikipedia

At the same time, Frank Williams was awarded the PDSA's White Cross of St. Giles for his devotion to Judy. Frank and Judy spent a year after the war visiting the relatives of English POWs who had not survived, and Frank said that Judy "always provided a comforting presence to the families."

When Judy finally died at the age of 13, Frank spent two months building a granite and marble memorial in her memory, which included a plaque describing her life story.

our beloved Mr Bubbles ❤

Pointer (dog breed)

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Honor Flight for Sergeant Bennett

Hi R: my dad is going on an honor flight early in July. They do mail call for the Vets and would like each Vet to have around 30 pieces of mail for it. Would you be able to jot him a note? I can send you a pdf with the address and deadline. My dad got the info on this late because he couldn't make the other dates.



Of course I said YES! I've known Mr Bennett since my first year of high school. He'd pick up his daughter - my classmate - in front of the school and say "Hi!" or smile whenever I walked by his car. What a breath of friendly, fresh air in a socially-awkward season of my life. Only now do I realize the chunk of time he was away from Family and the sacrifice it took for him to serve our country.

pc: NBC News

C. E. Bennett was in the Army from 1947-1967. Jobs: 1 1/2 years- GHQ Guard company, Japan, 2 years, Rifleman in Mortar Section in Alaska, 2 years in the 50s- 2nd Armored Division in Mannheim,Germany, 2 years in the 60s 3rd/4th Armored Division Crailsheim, Germany as a Supply Sergeant, 1 year as a Supply Sergeant in Vietnam. A member of the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One). Retired after 20 years, Rank E6 Staff Sergeant And he turned 89 on July 6, 2019.

 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; 

custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Romans 13:7

Honor Flight Chicago

How a Vietnam War POW used the Tune of “Old MacDonald” to Save Lives

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Winston Churchill: Socialism

Sir Winston Churchill passed on 54 years ago on January 24, 1965.

pc: breitbart

England's Prime Minister,  

Winston Churchill

(30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965)

 His  fightin' words from WW2 and thru life  live on,

and inspire me whenever I read or hear of them. 

get to the point already, right?!

welcome to the internet!

 must be why people block me on social media, lol!

Finally, possibly his most famous quotes:

Churchill/Breitbart

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

**

Hero: 4 Lbs of Fluffy Brave Dog

pc: freedomjewelry2011

Dogs have been a part of warfare since the beginning of history.

What people usually envisage is a German Shepherd or some other trusty and above all sizeable canine companion – probably not a 4 pound (1.8 kg) female Yorkshire Terrier!

The terrier, Smoky, indeed proved that size is not everything and that even the smallest of creatures can be brave. Smoky was first found in an abandoned foxhole in February 1944, in a jungle in New Guinea. Soon afterwards she was purchased by Corporal Bill Wynne, for two Australian dollars.

Wynne became very attached to Smoky, allowing her to sleep in his tent and sharing his food with her. As she was not officially a “war dog” Smoky could not receive veterinary medicine nor a balanced diet suitable for the jungle climate.

Nevertheless, the dog never fell ill, nor was she underfed. Smoky soon became an irreplaceable part of the 5th Air Force, 26th Photo Recon Squadron, flying up to 12 air/sea rescue and photo reconnaissance missions. During the flights she usually ran around the PBY Catalina flying boat’s fuselage, dangling below the waist gunners feet.

Smoky took part in 12 combat missions, receiving eight battle stars. She survived more than 150 Japanese bombing raids and even a typhoon which ravaged the coast of Okinawa.

Becoming more and more popular among the troops, Smoky learned numerous tricks and was even parachuted from 30 feet (9.1 m) out of a tree. The amusement that the tiny dog provided to the soldiers was priceless, for they were always in desperate need to keep their minds off the horrors of war.

pc: Brava Home Decor

In 1944 she was named the Champion Mascot in the Southwest Pacific Area by the Yank Down Under Magazine, all due to her willingness to learn various tricks and participate in gags, often performing for wounded soldiers.

Her owner, Bill Wynne credited her for saving his life while they were on a transport ship when she warned him of incoming shells. Unfortunately, the other eight men who were standing next to Wynne were not so lucky, as they were blown away, while Smoky’s owner managed to duck just in time.

Perhaps her most significant accomplishment was running a telegraph wire through a 70-foot-long (21m) pipe that was 8 inches (200 mm) in diameter while under heavy bombardment. She was small enough to fit through the pipe, and her efforts proved to be crucial for winning the 1944 Luzon campaign in the Philippines.

Wynne himself described in detail Smoky’s mission in a TV interview for NBC after the war:

I tied a string (tied to the wire) to Smoky’s collar and ran to the other end of the culvert . . . (Smoky) made a few steps in and then ran back. “Come, Smoky,” I said sharply, and she started through again. When she was about 10 feet in, the string caught up and she looked over her shoulder as much as to say “what’s holding us up there?” The string loosened from the snag and she came on again. By now the dust was rising from the shuffle of her paws as she crawled through the dirt and mold and I could no longer see her. I called and pleaded, not knowing for certain whether she was coming or not. At last, about 20 feet away, I saw two little amber eyes and heard a faint whimpering sound . . . at 15 feet away, she broke into a run. We were so happy at Smoky’s success that we patted and praised her for a full five minutes.

Her act of courage resulted in relieving 250 ground crewmen from risking their lives, for the work she had done in a matter of minutes would have taken three days of digging under daily enemy bombing attacks. The quick resolution of the telegraph wire malfunction kept 40 United States fighters and reconnaissance planes operational in a crucial moment.

After the war, Smoky became a pioneer in dog-therapy in veteran hospitals and had a career in Hollywood and television, presenting her performing skills.

In 1957, after a long and fulfilled life, Smoky the Yorkshire terrier died. Nearly 50 years later in 2005, she was commemorated. A monument was erected in her honor depicting the terrier sitting in a GI helmet. It was dedicated to:

-- by Nikola Budanovic

War History

Corporal Smoky

Yorkie

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23.11.25.21

Dealing with Hateful People in our Lives

Remembering Corrie ten Boom on her birthday!

The story:

Beverly Theater in Los Angeles, 1975: At the premiere of the motion picture, The Hiding Place, (the story of Corrie ten Boom and her family), a tear gas canister was thrown into the theater. The guests were evacuated. (The movie was premiered the following evening. Also, due to the terror attack and subsequent media attention, the movie had remarkable success.)

At a reception later that evening, ten Boom spoke in her distinctive Dutch accent: “People asked me tonight, ‘What did you feel about this [tear-gas] bomb that was falling?’ I was touched. I was sad. Do you know why? Not only because there was in some way disappointment for people who had hoped to see the film but because on that bomb was the Hakenkreuz, the [Nazi] swastika.

“What we have to do,” said Corrie ten Boom, “is love these people who hate us—love them, pray for them. These people are wounded people who have hate in their hearts. They need forgiveness. They need the Lord. That is the answer we must give.”

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