Braveheart War Dog Smoky Wins Honour At Last

[Boronia]

some good photies in this Courier Mail link

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/braveheart-war-dog-smoky-wins-honour-at-last/story-e6freon6-1226431564832

Courier Mail story by: Lara Lauth

Braveheart war dog Smoky wins honour at last

Tiny Smoky gets comfy inside a soldier's helmet. Source: Supplied

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Smoky the wonder dog parachutes in. Source: Supplied

SHE may have been tiny, but Smoky the Yorkshire terrier was as brave as any of our soldiers on the frontline during World War II.

Rescued from an abandoned foxhole in the middle of a Papua New Guinea jungle, Smoky went on to be a symbol of hope for the fighting men of WWII and their injured mates.

Last Friday, the 1.8kg pooch, who was originally purchased from a Queen St pet store in 1943, was posthumously honoured for her military achievements and work as a therapy dog during a special ceremony at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

Smoky's owner, US Army Corporal Bill Wynne, now 90, said he was "flabbergasted" when approached by Australian authorities who wanted to award his dog with a medal, 68 years after they first paired up.

Their story started when one of his buddies saw "a little golden head" peeking out of a foxhole by a road in the middle of a Papua New Guinea jungle.

He gave the misplaced "mutt" to a motorpool soldier, who then sold Smoky to Mr Wynne for two Australian pounds so he had money to buy back into a poker game.

Mr Wynne immediately set about teaching Smoky basic obedience skills. Within two days, Smoky could sit, stay, play dead and sing she mastered everything normally taught in a 10-week course and then some, he said.

She went everywhere with Bill. She spent 18 months on the front-line. She rode in his backpack, slept in his tent and shared his rations.

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Smoky sits with his owners in 1954, (from back left) Bob, Marcia, Bill, (in front from left), Joanie (holding Smoky), Donna and Susan. Source: Supplied

"In the meantime I kept training. I taught her to walk a tightrope blindfolded, and she could spell out her name with cardboard letters."

Mr Wynne said she even learnt how to parachute out of a tree.

"My buddy climbed up the tree and dropped her out, and I caught her in a blanket. She came out wagging her tail, so I thought it was ok."

It was during a period of convalescence at hospital when Smoky got her first taste of life as a therapy dog.

Mr Wynne said his friends brought his dog to the hospital, and the nurses loved her so much they asked if they could take her on rounds.

"The dog slept on my bed at hospital for five nights."

It was for Smoky's service in Australian hospitals, including the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, that Smoky was awarded her latest medal.

Mr Wynne said he only found out where Smoky came from after she passed away and his first owner, a US nurse stationed in Brisbane and Papua New Guinea, saw a tribute article in a local magazine.

He was astounded to discover Smoky's first owner lived just three blocks away from his Cleveland home.

"Smoky was the thing that really kept me going."

Smoky now rests in "45 cal ammo box" beneath a bronze replica (pictured), in a US park near where Mr Wynne now lives.