Military Dog Names

In 1942, America was gearing up for World War II. Military officials asked the public to donate their dogs for the war effort. The dogs would be trained and sent overseas to war. More than 11,000 canines were donated across the country. The Wren family proudly met the call of their nation and donated a German Shepherd mixed breed named Chip. Chip was young and hard to control. He loved barking at the mailman and causing mayhem in the neighborhood. It was rumored that he had even bitten a garbage collector. It broke the Wren's family's hearts to give the dog to the military but they knew he would be ideal for the position. 

Chip was trained extensively at the War Dog Training Center in Front Royal, Virginia. He would be used as a sentry canine. After his training was complete, he was assigned to the 3rd Military Police Platoon, 3d Infantry Division. Chip would serve alongside his fellow soldiers in North Africa, Germany, France, Italy, and Sicily. He was handled by Pvt. John P. Rowell. The brave dog served eight campaigns across Europe and worked as a sentry in Casablanca. He also functioned as a tank and POW guard. 

In 1943, during the massive invasion of Sicily, Chip and his handler stumbled into heavy machine gun fire. Chip heroically launched himself into the gunner's pillbox to attack the enemy soldiers. During the skirmish, Chip did sustain several minor injuries that did not slow him down because later that day he helped capture 10 enemy soldiers. 

During his illustrious military career, Chip would receive the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in action. In 1945, after Chip returned home, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower awarded the dog and thanked him for his military service. As the future president reached out to touch Chip he was bitten. The dog would also be posthumously bestowed the Dickin Medal. John Wren, the grandson of Chip's original owners flew to the United Kingdom to attend the ceremony. 

As the war came to a close, Chip was returned to the Wren family. Once he made it back to America, he would live with the Wren family for seven more months before his death. His early death was caused by the injuries that the brave pooch had sustained during the war.  He was only six years old. Upon his death, he was buried at The Peaceable Kingdom Pet Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY. In 1990, Disney released a movie to commemorate the brave war dog. The movie was titled, Chip the War Dog.