Sergeant Stubby

In May we celebrated Memorial Day; the holiday in which we remember the men and women who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

There is one war hero I would like to share with you; and his name is Sergeant Stubby; a pit bull terrier.

Sergeant Stubby (1917 – 1926) is the name of the most decorated war veteran of World War I; and only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat. 

Stubby was a stray in New Haven, Connecticut.  It is said that he would hang around a group of soldiers who were training and doing drills at Yale University.  And Corporal Robert Conroy, who grew fond of the dog, hid Stubby on board the ship when it was time for the soldiers to ship out.  The commanding officer allowed Stubby to stay onboard after discovering him due to the fact he had saluted the commanding officer upon discovering him.

He became the mascot of the 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division. Stubby learned drills, bugle calls and a modified dog salute; he would put his right paw on his right eyebrow when a salute was executed by his fellow soldiers.  And he was in the front lines alongside the other soldiers during World War I.

Even though animals were forbidden, Stubby was allowed to remain in camp because he had a positive impact on the morale of the campsite.

Stubby was put in for a promotion to the rank of Sergeant by the commander of the 102nd Infantry for capturing an enemy spy.

Stubby was injured during a grenade attack, resulting in a large amount of shrapnel in his chest and leg. He was rushed to a field hospital and later transferred to a Red Cross Recovery Hospital for surgery. After Stubby started to recover, it was said that he would visit wounded soldiers at the hospital.

By the end of the war, Stubby had served in 17 battles and met President Woodrow Wilson.  He visited the White House twice; once to meet President Harding and the second time to meet President Coolidge.

Stubby was awarded many medals for his heroism.  One of the medals he was awarded was from the Humane Society which was presented by General John Pershing, the Commanding General of the United States Armies. He was awarded a membership in the American Legion and the Y.M.C.A.  And then he went on to become the mascot of the Georgetown Hoyas when his master, J. Robert Conroy, began studying law at Georgetown University.

Stubby died in 1926.  And he is featured at the National Museum of American History in the Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibit.