War Dog Memorial added to Veteran’s Memorial in Mt. Olive’s Turkey Brook Park

Each year, the organizers at the All Veteran's Memorial in Mount Olive like to add a new educational element to the memorial. This year they have added a memorial to military dogs, who often assist

News 12 Staff

May 28, 2016, 4:42 AM

Updated 3,024 days ago

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Each year, the organizers at the All Veteran's Memorial in Mount Olive like to add a new educational element to the memorial.
This year they have added a memorial to military dogs, who often assist the country's soldiers.
"There are so many different components that go into a war," says memorial organizer Charlie Wood Uhrmann. "There are some victorious stories and there are some, not so."
Some of the dogs being honored include Sgt. Stubby, a cadaver dog from World War I that also detected mustard gas. There's Smoky the Yorkshire who ran through pipes to deliver messages during World War II. There's also Nemo who wasn't stopped, even when shot in the face.
"He had held back the Viet Cong from the attack," says Uhrmann.
There is a Doberman representing the Korean War, which is the only dog that doesn't have a name. News 12 New Jersey is told that after the Korean War, the military stopped using Dobermans because they are too loyal.
The Doberman that is honored in the memorial was emaciated, but stayed in a foxhole with his dead handler and refused to let other soldiers near him.
"His last thrust in life was to protect that handler," says Uhrmann. "And so what happened with this dog, which is kind of sad, one of our American soldiers had to shoot this dog."
An official dedication ceremony for the memorial will be held on Monday. The original dog handler for Smoky the Yorkshire will be present. Smoky's story is currently being made into a movie.