Dogs have gone to warfare for K of twelvemonth , but during World War I , one pooch rose above his peer . When the 102nd Infantry ’s 26th Yankee Division was training at Yale , a stray detent befriend the men . nickname Stubby , the cur learned to salute by throwing a paw up to his eyebrow . When the unit shipped out to France , it was only natural that the soldier smuggled Stubby along .
Trouble arose when commanding officers discovered the furry stowaway . Before they could charge Stubby home , however , he saluted his master . Impressed , they let him stay on as the unit ’s prescribed mascot .
Stubby did more than advance morale ; he speedily show to be an ace soldier . After surviving a gasoline onrush , Stubby became sensitive to chemical agents , and whenever he sensed danger , he would run down the line alert his human fellow . He also figure the no - man ’s land between oceanic abyss to help paramedics retrieve wounded soldiers . And once , when a German undercover agent penetrate an confederate foxhole , Stubby assault the trespasser until American troop could capture him . This last triumph prompted the 102nd Infantry ’s commander to put in for Stubby ’s advancement to sergeant , and he became the first dog ever to have a rank in the American war machine .
By the sentence the war end , Stubby had do in 17 battles over 18 months . He ’d been injured twice and received multiple medals for bravery , including a Purple Heart . The American media fall in love life with the scrappy dog . Sgt . Stubby got to receive president Wilson , Harding , and Coolidge ; he became Georgetown University ’s mascot ; and he ’s now the discipline of a kids ' movie , Sgt . Stubby : An American Hero . Not defective for a stray !
