Scout Dog
By Sarge on Nov 29, 2012 | In War Stories
In 1965, both the Marines and the Army initiated scout/patrol dog programs. The Army first deployed IPSD teams In June, 1966 at Tan Son Nhut AFB. In 1968 10 more teams were added and the last teams arrived in January of 1969. There were two IPSD’s (Infantry Platoon Scout Dog) that we worked with, the 38th located in Cu Chi and the 44th located in Dau Tieng. Two other IPSD’s operated within the 25th Div, the 40th in the Central Highlands at Pleiku then became part of the 4th Division and the 46th in Tay Ninh which joined the 25th after serving the 11th Armored Calvary Regiment sometime in 1968 following the Tet Offensive. There were also a number of Tracker Dog units. These units used Labrador's because of their ability to focus on scents and were used to trail and track down the enemy. The 66th Dog Trackers out of Cu Chi were such a unit.
Trained to use their keen senses of smell, sight, and hearing, the dogs provide an "early-warning" system for the infantrymen. They are able to sniff out guerrillas, booby-traps, punji pits, and other potential dangers. To achieve the close rapport necessary between handler and dog, they are paired off at the start of the 13-week training period and are seldom far apart. They must learn to understand each other's moods and actions, for in combat conditions, each will depend upon the other for survival. Only if the handler is too badly wounded to continue, will the dog be taken over by another man.
Arriving in Vietnam, the dogs are given 20 days to adjust to the weather. "About the worst discomfort our dogs face over here is the heat. They have two coats of fur, and needed the adjustment period to shed their outer coat," explained 2nd Lt. Ian Jones of Houston, Tex., a IPSD platoon leader. Where scout dogs have been in use in Vietnam, they have proven so effective that the Viet Cong have standing orders to shoot the dog before engaging in any fight with the unit.
The dogs even have their own equivalent of C-rations. While in the field, they are fed "dog" burgers, which are relatively compact to carry. In base camp, they eat a mixture of dry meal and horsemeat. KP is pulled by the handlers, who feed, groom and clean up after the dogs. Grooming alone takes up two hours a day, but it's all a labor of love. The men of the scout dog platoon know the worth of their "four-legged friends.
A request for a dog handler and scout dog was almost a daily request by Flame 6 (Battalion) when we were stationed in Dau Tieng and working in the rubber plantations to the east and west of Camp Rainer. The underbrush which grew in some areas of the plantations was ideal cover for enemy movements and excellent cover to hide in from aerial observation. The scout team would always be up front of the column on point working the area ahead looking for those telltale signs or scents of the enemy. One of the dogs we worked together with was “Ringo” a big German Sheppard. The Sheppard’s were the primary dog used for this kind of work using both their eyes and nose to spot danger. There were other dog units, known as Trackers that used Labradors for their keen noses, to pursue and hunt down the enemy.
When Charlie Company was OPCON’d to the 2/22nd in May of 1968 to Trang Bang, we continued to work with scout teams, but less frequently. On May 13th we are engaged in a heavy firefight in a village south of Trang Bang. In the melee of the fight, SFC Charles H Sandberg, from Philadelphia, PA. , 44th Infantry Platoon (scout dogs) is killed accidently along with his dog, Buckshot by a LFT (light fire team) gunship. Jerry Suitor who was with the 38th IPSD, was working with C 2/12th 2nd Plt a few days later when there was another friendly fire incident. Andy Wahrenbrock, one of our medics was hit by a LFT when the pilots got a wrong read on identifying where the enemy was that they were to engage.
During the Vietnam War 1960-'75, about 4,000 American war dogs were employed in various capacities, of these a few died early on in the war from food contamination; the Vietnam sub tropical climate killed several hundred more...according to the Army Veterinary Corps, 109 war dogs died from heatstroke in 1969 alone; and from June 1970 thru to December 1972, 371 dogs were euthanized as being noneffective in combat, and a other 148 died from various causes; during the entire war 288 were officially listed as killed in action...along with 285 handlers.
More than 9,000 Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force handlers served in Vietnam during America's involvement. Were the dogs of Vietnam effective? Our military experts and "armchair Generals" will probably be debating that question for the next hundred years. But any Vietnam combat veteran, that happened to be part of a patrol, that was saved from an VC ambush because of a scout dog's alert or prevented from walking into a mine field...will tell you, the answer is definitely yes! The Viet Cong though so too.....they placed bounties on both, the American handlers and their war dogs! Estimates vary, but some state that the dogs may have been responsible for the saving of at least 10,000 lives in Vietnam.
Some of the story is from K-9 History, the Dogs of War at http://community-2.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP-K9/K9History6/ and another story reference is http://vdha.us/ Vietnam Dog Handler Association.
4 comments
Arnold
Good piece. Charlie two, in a daylight ambush, had two dog handlers KIA 05/23/68, just outside Trang Bang (I was WIA).
Parrish & Manfuro
I really enjoyed the artical about the Scout Dogs. My name is Jerry Suitor I was with the 38th Scout Dog Plt. I was working with the 2/12 when Andy was wounded and Billy Jo Parrish & Rodney Manfuro with the 66th Tracker Dogs was KIA just out side of Trang Bang May 23,1968 when Gunships open up on us.
Hey Arnold, very nice summary. I really respect the effort and research that you are putting into your project!!
I only recall the yellow lab trackers joining us a few times during my brief stint with the unit. Since their role was principally to “help” us maintain contact with an enemy in pursuit, I think many of us were a bit apprehensive about their effectiveness. Nevertheless, I recall one mission in the HoBo Woods, when the deployed elements went without water in 100+ degree heat for almost 24-hours. Repeated pleas to higher were rebuffed with criticism rather than relief. Fortunately for us, our assign tracker dog suffered from the heat and required MedEvac. Someone with brains thought to add a few black jerry cans of water for the primate elements of our team.
Hope all is well with you and yours in the sunny west. Have a great holiday!
Mike
I worked with a dog team one time. I was the point man and the dog and his handler were behind me. Nothing much happened that day and the dog found nothing. I have a story about that day if you want it.
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