U.S.M.C. Dog Handler with Dog, 1942-45

For as long as they have been domesticated, dogs have been used in battle. As scouts and sentries, messengers and mercy dogs, canis familiaris has been a steadfast soldier whose fidelity and fortitude knows no bounds. In WWII’s Pacific theater the United States Marine Corps used dogs to help wrest control back from the Japanese occupying forces. While many varying breeds of dog were used, the Doberman Pinscher became the official/unofficial dog of the U.S.M.C. (the Bulldog still their mascot). Many of these dogs were donated by their owners and of the 549 dogs that returned from the war, only four could not be returned to civilian life.