Secret War Dogs In Vietnam - 1960 - 1969

Photograph - was presented by Chuck Steward who was a member of the tracking unit and part of the 1st Infantry Division. He retired as a Sergeant Major and now lives in El Paso, Texas. In 1966, the U.S. Army trained sniffer dogs and their human companions to track down guerrillas in Vietnam. The military kept these Combat Tracker Teams secret to hide them from the enemy—and shield reluctant allies from a potential international incident. The impetus for the canine teams came from frustrated American commanders. The Viet Cong were masters of terrain, camouflage and tunneling—and dictated when and where a fight happened. More importantly, the enemy fighters could decide how long a battle lasted. “The U.S. command in Saigon [wants] to solve the problem of re-establishing and maintaining contact with enemy forces after they have broken contact with U.S. units,” stated a report by the Army’s private Combat Operations Research Group. https://warisboring.com/the-u-s-army-had-secret-war-dogs-in-vietnam-67a98311a734#.86g7q7azn

Area: Out of Area / Out of Area

Source: Chuck Steward

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History