Pets were an important part of our lives in the war zone. Some became quite beloved, some were a nusiance. All were part of the war.
What Pets do you remember? Make note of any photos and words you find on the website so we can link to them.
Help us find the photos and stories of our many pets from our website and from your memory. Our website has gotten so big it takes me many hours to find things. If you spot something, email it in. If in a movie, give me the time hack; or just send your memories in an email. They will be posted here.
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"Slick"
Pat Eastes: (Jan2018)
I watched a news segment about a present soldier who was reunited with his pet from Afghanistan, and it got me thinking about Slick, our hooch dog in 67-68. He rode with Mike Siegel on occasion, and I think Mike tried to get him an air medal. I heard that Slick was killed in a mortar attack after I left country.
Bruce Powell: I thought that Slick may have been killed by the same rocket that got Jim Moore (a 122mm) 25 March 1968. Turns out that was incorrect. However it is believed that one of our dogs was killed with Jim. Maybe someone from Operations will remember.
"Lady"
Lady the dog mascot of Stable Boy in 1969. see Jerry Ackerman
"Sam"
Sam the monkey. Richard Chapman the Motor Sgt owned him for a while in 1967.
"The Cobra Dog"
"Dog"
Bruce Hinds: We had a dog at F troop. I think his name was Dog! I’ve got a picture of him and something I wrote on the back, I’ll dig it out and scan it. I do remember guys said he never barked. If there were locals too close to the wire in their sampans, he’d just come into a room and wake someone up. I think Peter Barber might know more about him.
Jim Hoag: In my slide show, pic #59 shows me sitting on the 40mm gun bay door with 3 dogs sitting in the shade. Sam was the black dog and belonged I think to Rudy Grimm, Snoopy is the one hard to see and might have been SP5 Vaughn's. Alice is the white female and was my dog. She absolutely hated Vietnamese and would go ballistic when at Lai Khe if any of them other than the hooch maids came around. Really good alarm dog out in the revetments. I don't know who she was with before I got to Cu Chi. He had left already and she gravitated to me probably because I took care of her. Nobody wanted a scrawny little thing, but she was a really good companion. The picture was taken at Camp Frenzell-Jones in Jan or Feb '71. I was probably waiting for the pilots to come out to go fly.
Stan Allen - Pets
Here are some pictures of some of the Pets that we had around the area, while I was at Cu Chi in 69 and 70. They are in my slide show on the web site. They are Pictures SA-98, A puppy, SA-123 Puppy, SA-124 Another Puppy,SA-125 Another Puppy, SA-126 a dog, SA-127 Lady, SA- 128 My dog, I do not remember its name but it used to fly with me sometimes on nighthawk. I remember it scared a Capt. from the engineers one night. He almost exited the aircraft in flight. SA_ 130 Cat around hutch to keep the mice down. SA- 129 cat, SA-131 Lady's puppies. Maybe someone can put more names and stories to the pictures.
"Monkey-Lai Khe"
Bill Steinbeck:
Somebody had a monkey there. Let loose in the motor pool parts room it took all the parts records and tore them up.
Carl Betsill:
You mean this filthy monkey! I hated him. No replacement for Fox Mike the avionics dog at Lai Khe.
Bill Steinbeck:
That's him I would know him anywhere.
Steve Lentz:
I remember that monkey broke up the formation one morning.
Bill Steinbeck:
Sat outside my hooch one day and wouldn't let me in.
Steve Lentz:
It was mean. Top said get rid of it, and one day it was gone.
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