Loyal Force: The Animals of World War II

From the Aug. 1, 2012, Dallas News "New Orleans exhibit features animal heroes of World War II" by AP.

Smokey the Yorkshire terrier
Lady Astor the pigeon
horses and mules

These are (were) the features at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans back in 2010.  Hey, I'm still trying to catch up on articles I found of interest.  This exhibit ran until October 17, 2010.  I had never given the role of animals much thought before this article.

Part of the exhibit showed Coast Guardsmen on patrol along a beach on his horse.  Shore patrols were continuous during the war, especially along the eastern coast with all the U-boat activity off shore.  At least twice, German saboteur teams landed on American shores.

In North Africa and the Mediterranean, pigeons like Lasy Astor were often used for communications.  Lady Astor lost half of the feathers on one wing and had a broken leg due to enemy pellet fire.

There is an oral history of Hiram Boone, an Army mule who operated in the China, Burma and Indian theaters of the war.

Smoky represents the Pacific Theater and was found in a foxhole in New Guinea and became a mascot.  She became a war hero when she helped engineers string a 70 foot telegraph wire through an eight-inch culvert under an airfield.

Stuff You Didn't Know.  --GreGen