In 1942, the Marine Corps decided to experiment with the use of dogs in combat situations. The new unit on Guam consisted of sixty dogs, ninety handlers, ten NCO assistants, two war dog corpsmen, and three kennelmen. However, before the end of the campaign over 350 dogs would be trained and released upon the Japanese. Vernon Eddins and Cary Carlson Ward of the Pensacola High Class of 1943 saw a lot of these dogs during their combat operations on Guam with the Marines. Their handlers were not only trained dog specialists, but were also skilled scouts as well. Man and dog alike hunted down and destroyed the Japanese wherever they found them. In addition to scouting, the dogs searched out enemy snipers, hidden caves and pillboxes, ran messages, and protected the Marines' foxholes just as they would their private homes. The dogs ate, slept, fought and shared the same living conditions as their solitary masters.
The presence of these dogs on the front lines promised the surrounding Marines a safe night's sleep because the canines would instantly alert their handlers whenever the enemy came near. During the Guam campaign, many of the dogs were wounded or killed by machine gun and rifle fire and of course incoming mortars were as devastating to them as they were to their Marine handlers. When the dogs were wounded, the Marines made every effort to get them to the rear as quickly as possible to be treated by one of the awaiting veterinarians. In the liberation of Guam, twenty war dogs were wounded and twenty-five of them were killed in action and buried in a special cemetery aside just for them.
Throughout the remainder of the war Guam continued to serve as a staging area for the war dogs, of which 465 would serve in combat operations. Of the Marine war dogs, 85% were Doberman Pinschers, and the rest were mostly German Shepherds. After the war, 491 were deprogrammed, a process that could take up to a year before they were returned to their owners or given to their handlers. Only four dogs could not be returned to their masters because, even after extensive retraining, they still proved "incorrigible." Sadly, these dedicated veterans had to be put to sleep because they were considered too dangerous to be released to civilian life.
Standing guard over his Marine
Wounded K-9 Marine receives medical care
The Marine dogs that sacrificed their lives on Guam 1944
Pensacola News Journal 11-28-1944