Page 25 - Chiron Calling Spring 2017

Vietnam War Dogs recognized in Vietnam
Thanks to the efforts of the Australian War Animal Memorial (AWAMO) the 11 tracker dogs that were left behind at the conclusion of the Vietnam war will have their names displayed on a commemorative certi cate this month (August 2016).
AWAMO President Nigel Allsopp himself an ex-NZ Military Working Dog handler and current serving Queensland Police Dog Handler has been trying to help a couple of Vietnam Veteran groups to get a war dog memorial in Vietnam for the 11 dogs left behind. They were Caesar, Cassius, Janus, Julian, Juno, Justin, Marcian, Marcus, Milo, Tiber, Trajan.
Following the successful use of tracker dogs during the Malayan Emergency and with Australia’s troop commitment to the con ict in South Vietnam imminent, in 1965 the Australian Army began a training program at the Tracking Wing of the Infantry Centre, Ingleburn, near Sydney, New South Wales. The dogs, all black labrador or labrador cross breeds, were sourced from public donations and dog pounds. Trained to follow a scent, usually at speed, these dogs were to become the core of the Combat Tracker Teams that were used from 1967 until the last combat troops were withdrawn in late 1971.
Each Tracker Team, consisting of (although there were variations) a tracker dog and handler, overman (machine gunner), team commander (visual tracker), signaler, visual tracker and a ri eman,
operated on standby out of Nui
Dat or the battalion re support
base. Usually called out to
follow up enemy tracks or locate suspected enemy hideouts after
a contact, the teams would be
airlifted by helicopter into the
area of operation. Once on the
ground, the tracker dog would
be put on to the scent of retreating enemy. This meant that the Tracker Team would lead actual ghting elements towards the enemy – one of the most dangerous jobs in any war, requiring both excellent scouting skills as well as absolute con dence in the tracker dog’s ability to sense the enemy before actual contact was made.
The dog would follow the scent until a location was found, at which time he would indicate in a ‘point’ facing the suspected enemy. The handler and his dog would then fall back while the rest of the section searched the area, often nding wounded enemy or recently occupied bunker systems that would otherwise have been missed. Apart from their success in locating enemy and their support systems, the dogs saved the lives of their handlers and team members on many occasions. Although not trained to detect mines, the dogs were intelligent and suf ciently well trained to do so.
Over the last year AWAMO has been talking to the Embassies in Hanoi and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City as
well as DFAT here to try and get a bronze plaque there.
Alas the Vietnam government say no to all foreign military memorials but thanks to assistance from the Defence Attaché and Consular, AWAMO have been given permission to design a certi cate and poem to honour them. This will be placed in the foyer of the Australian Consulate Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).
The President of AWAMO hopes it may go some way into heeling some feelings some dog handlers have we have spoken to. Several have expressed to me that leaving their four legged mates behind still upsets them today. We hope this rst step leads to greater things to honour them, it also gives any Veterans visiting Vietnam a physical item and place in-situ to pay respect to. Ex- handlers have said to me no one knows any exact burial places for the dogs so this in some way may help to be a focal point for them. Finally in a ceremony in HCMC in October 2016, the Australian Military Attaché to Vietnam Col Darren Kerr formally handed the commemorative certi cates to the acting Australian Consulate.
Nigel also paid for a bronze plaque honouring these Vietnam dogs which was donated to Forrest Lakes Returned Serviceman’s League (RSL) were it is on display. This will allow anyone not able to view the commemorative memorial in Vietnam to have a place in Australia to do so.
AWAMO will continue to establish war animal memorials both in Australia and internationally to honour all that did not return. AWAMOs next project is the establishment of a war animal memorial at Kokoda this year and the WW1 war animal memorial at Pozières, France next July – 2017.
Book Review –Australian War Dogs
Australian War Dogs introduces you to man’s best friend on the battle eld, the four-legged digger. Canine troops have served alongside Australia’s armed forces for decades. Valued for their loyalty, intelligence and devotion in battle, war dogs have helped relay messages through trenches and laid telephone wire;
they have searched for the wounded and detected land mines. Nigel Allsopp, author of Cry Havoc: The History of War Dogs, explores the history of all Australian military dogs throughout our history and their different roles in the past and what role they could play in the future.
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