The Marine Corps had the first large dog unit in the nation’s history to see action against the enemy, but from the end of WWII moving forward, never again would there be calls from the military for dog volunteers to “enlist.” Only specific dog breeds were selected, and two of them were German Shepherd Dogs and Belgian Malinois. One additional breed was chosen, a breed that served bravely and mightily on the island of Guam – Doberman Pinschers. These Marine dogs were called the “Devil Dogs,” a name that the Marines, themselves, had earned during WWI.

Aboard a Coast Guard-manned landing barge, Marines and their fighting “Devil Dogs” are on their way for the invasion beaches of Guam. Source: U.S. Coast Guard Public Relations Photo/public domain

These “Devil Dogs” made the ultimate sacrifice on that island. They lead over 550 patrols, and twenty five of them died during their service there. It took over 50 years to get a memorial built on Guam that honored these dogs, but it was done and now sits very close to where the dogs were buried by their bereaved handlers who never forgot them. We’ve mentioned these Doberman Pinchers before, and will continue to periodically do so because we never want to forget them, either.

Image:  A war dog and handler walk on the beach on Guam. From the Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. CollectionMarine Corps /Archives & Special Collections/Shared under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.