Chips

Chips the war dogs picture (http://www.qmfound.com/K-9.htm)

I chose Chips the war dog as my hero. The reason I chose Chips is because he was a normal housedog that got donated to the military during World War II. While Chips was being trained to go to war he did an amazing thing that no other dog had done before and then after he got sent overseas. There are two different reasons why Chips is famous which I tell you about later in this story. I also chose Chips because I love animals and this is a great story about one animal that risked his life to save his master.

Chip's dad was part collie and part German shepherd and his mother was a Northern sled dog. Chips was donated by Edward J. Wren. Chips was trained at Fort Royal, Virginia in 1942. The reason he was sent for training to go to war in 1941 was that the nation was very angry after December 7th, the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. People hurled themselves so full force into the war effort that they were even sending their dogs to battle.

One of the reasons Chips is called a hero dog is because he led his owner through a course without getting caught in any of the traps or dangerous objects. This accomplishment is one thing that no other dog has ever been able to do. That is why Chips was shipped overseas to war with one of the first groups to go. This is only one of the reasons Chips was called a hero. I am sure that Chip's owner was very proud that his dog was one of the first dogs to be sent overseas.

When Chips did his next amazing thing, he broke one very important rule. He broke away from his handler and ran and attacked a pillbox (a low-roofed concrete emplacement for a machine gun). There are lots of different versions of the story and this is only one of them. Shortly after Chips and the men had made their way ashore and established a beachhead in Sicily, the soldiers were thinking that it was all safe. Even though Chips was tired and weary, his senses wouldn’t let him rest and he sensed danger. All of a sudden, he broke free of his handler and attacked a pillbox. That was the rule that he broke. He started to run at the pillbox and on his way he got shot in the body. Chips ignored the pain and kept running at the pillbox. There was deadly silence and for a moment Chips was not seen or heard from. Then, all of the sudden, they saw Chips holding onto the throat of the enemy gunner and five other terrified men with their arms raised in surrender.

Chips was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. After the war, Chips was given to a soldier who took him across the Atlantic and then to Fort Royal, Virginia for discharge. Chips accompanied the soldier as he went through being discharged and as a result they were late showing up at the “K-9” center in Virginia. When they arrived at the gates a surly guard tried to turn them away. Glaring at the soldier, Chip's escort shouted, "Pumpkin head, this is Chips, Mr. Chips to you." The army as quick as possible rolled out the red carpet, welcoming Mr. Chips home.