When the 85 pound German Shepherd Dog named “Kaiser,” and Marine Lance Corporal Alfredo Salazar first met at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1965, it was just the beginning of a close friendship. The two would learn a lot about each other in the coming months, starting with their training with the Army’s 26th Scout Dog Platoon, then during their final training stint before departing for Vietnam. Together, they did over thirty combat patrols and took part in twelve major operations. After joining the D” Company for a search-and-destroy mission in 1966, the pair was leading a patrol towards a small village but encountered heavy brush. Just as they broke through the thick undergrowth, they were hit by heavy automatic fire and hand grenades by enemy forces. “Kaiser” was hit almost immediately, and after Salazar and other Marines returned fire, Salazar ran to kneel by his partner. It’s heartbreaking to learn that “Kaiser” died while trying to lick Salazar’s hand. It made the German Shepherd the first war dog killed in action during the Vietnam War.
“Kaiser” was buried under a shade tree near the Marines’ tents. As a tribute to the first Marine Scout Dog Killed in action in the Republic of Vietnam, the camp was renamed,” Camp Kaiser.“ A sign was posted on the site which read “This camp is named in honor of ‘Kaiser,’ a scout dog who gave his life for his country on 6 July 1966 while leading a night combat patrol in Vietnam.”
Photo of “Kaiser” and Marine Lance Corporal Alfredo Salazar found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information
I remember Kaiser and my friend Salazar. We trained together and arrived in Vietnam on March 4, 1966. We were heart broken when Kaiser was KIA. They are both remembered fondly.
Photo of Salazar by Camp Kaiser Sign.
Ron, your note gives us chills, even as it makes us sad. We are honored to hear from you, and thank you for your service. Thank you for writing!
Ron I don’t know if you will read this, I looked at your photo of your friend Salazar in the camp, and it looks that the person in picture of the article with the german shepherd is not the same person, can you confirm this? Thanks a lot.
So very sad ?. God bless you and all of our Warriors and our Warrior K 9’s. There isn’t any way to repay these War dogs or your selfless service to our country. God bless America. ?? Ron, I must call you again and speak you. Please take care.
In 2007 my husband and I got a new German Shepherd puppy. We wanted to give him a hero’s name. I read the story of this Kaiser and knew I wanted to name our puppy after this hero. I was always proud to tell people about our puppy’s namesake. Unfortunately our Kaiser is now gone, but we now have Kaiser 2. He has a proud tradition to live up to.
What a wonderful tribute to a hero, Rhonda, thank you for sharing Kaiser I and II’s story with us, and this lovely photo!
Kaiser was my family dog my father gave to the army . I have pictures and hand written letters from his handler to my mother and many newspaper articles of anyone is interested.
Hi David, I’m truly interested by your documents, have you the possibility to share them? Thanks a lot.
Hi David, We are working on a documentary and I would like to speak with you about Kaiser.
Hello David,
I hope you are able to see this. I am currently doing research for an assignment regarding Kaiser. It would be very helpful, and also VERY appreciated, if you could link (or send pictures of) those letters and news paper articles you discussed? Thank you.
hello , good morning i was just reading your comment from march sorry i missed it , i can send you my email so you can see the pictures and letter i have ,
Hi David, I’m also interested by your photos and letters, I wrote a paragraph about Kaiser on the page of my site devoted to war dogs, and it seems that the picture of the article is not showing Alfredo Salazar, so you can be a great help, thanks a lot.