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THE MEMORIAL |
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by Chris Raper |
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THE MEMORIAL |
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By: Chris Raper |
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We came from all regions of the country. Some by car, air, and camper, one even hitchhiked. We had gathered in usually, sunny, Riverside, California for the unveiling of a memorial, and to pay tribute to our partners, who long ago, were abandoned in Vietnam. |
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Transcending race, religion, and politics, we had gathered under an overcast and threatening sky. The haunting words of David Eisley's recording of "Remembering" drifted over the crowd, setting the mood and "remember," we did. |
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Remembering one another was difficult for many of the several thousand who had gathered. Most of us were veterans of the Vietnam War and with the passage of time, the memories of faces and names had grown too dim. Vietnam was, for most of us, a place we tried to forget when we came home. The fortunate returned home to family and friends. For most of us in attendance, we were there to honor our partners whom we had been forced to leave behind in Vietnam and WHOM we had NOT forgotten. |
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A light rain had begun to fall and the first few drops landed in the eyes of the sculpture making it appear they too, shared our sorrow. Seated beside me was a weathered and elderly World War II, former Marine, who fought in the South Pacific. He too, was there to honor his partner from that war and the tears on his cheeks told me that the memories of my partner would never leave me either. |
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The massive, bronze memorial peering out at us reached upward for sixteen feet and it was ten feet wide at its base. It was truly magnificent and we were proud. We stared, through blurry eyes, at the statue now wet and |
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glistening from the falling rain. An eerie silence permeated over the crowd. Speakers came and left but their words were over shadowed by our memories of the past. This memorial was different, unlike any, past or present. This memorial was to honor the nearly four thousand heroes our government abandoned during the Vietnam War. |
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These heroes served in all the branches of the military and official records and "after action reports" revealed that nearly ten thousand lives were saved by the heroic actions of K-9 War Dog teams. Yet, of the four thousand dogs that served, fewer than two hundred returned to the states. When American forces left Vietnam, the rest were euthanized, died in action or were given to the South Vietnamese Army to meet an unknown fate. |
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Names like Duke, Prince, Blackie, Nikki, Zorro, Ranger, King, Major and many other names will never be forgotten by a nation, once ungrateful and now still trying to heal. Those brave soldiers, who scouted, patrolled, tracked the enemy and ferreted out arms caches and booby traps with their brave and loyal War Dogs, were proud of their mission and their partner's supreme sacrifices. We can now find some inner peace that our partners, whom we had to abandon so long ago, will be remembered. The memorial did that in a way that made all of us proud to have served with "mans best friend." |
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*** Public pressure has since caused the Department of Defense to change its policy and never again will the government abandon our War Dogs.*** |
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Chris Raper and I worked Sentry Dog teams at Tuy Hua RVN together in 1966 to 1967. Some of the pictures on my site are from him. |
