A Patriotic Tale About Sergeant Stubby - A Boston Terrier

Sergeant Stubby was the most decorated war dog of WWI and the only dog nominated for rank & promoted to Sergeant thru combat. His valiant service on the battlefields of France proved that war heroes can come in many shapes and sizes.

Stubby was a Boston Terrier/Pit Bull Mix who was found wandering the Yale campus where the 102nd infantry were training. Stubby, as the little dog was dubbed, quickly joined the daily routines of Private Conroy’s unit, the 26th Yankee Division of the U.S. Army’s 102nd Infantry. He entertained the soldiers with antics that included a modified salute with his paw. However, a canine couldn’t officially join their ranks. So when the Yankee Division shipped out one night, Stubby quietly hopped on the train along with them, and then, with Private Conroy’s help, stowed away on the troop transport ship.

Once the unit reached France, Stubby charmed commanding officers into letting him stay with the Yankee Division all the way to the front lines. He soon began to prove his worth on the battlefields. Distinguishing friend from foe by their familiar language and smells, Stubby alerted medics to the cries of wounded soldiers—or stayed with and comforted them until they died so they would not be left alone. He led disoriented soldiers back to the trenches. Once, Stubby himself got lost, but French troops found and returned him. When German prisoners marched through Stubby’s camp, the fierce little dog had to be restrained so he wouldn’t attack them.

With all the dangers at the front, injury was perhaps inevitable for this canine soldier. During an attack, Stubby inhaled mustard gas, which required medical treatment. Later, Stubby recognized danger during another gas attack. He roused soldiers from sleep and likely saved many lives.His keen nose for gas paid off again when he reportedly averted an attack on a French village. Afterward, some women from the village sewed him a little chamois coat. It was hand-stitched with Stubby’s name and decorated with Allied flags. He wore it throughout the war and for the rest of his life.

Perhaps Stubby’s most distinguished act was catching a German spy by harassing and biting him until Stubby's fellow soldiers arrived and captured the spy. For this feat, he was promoted to the honorary rank of Sergeant, becoming the first dog to receive a rank in the U.S. armed forces.

One day, during a grenade attack at Chateau-Thierry, Sergeant Stubby took shrapnel in his chest and in one leg. Private Conroy carried his canine companion to a field hospital. Stubby needed surgery and a month’s recovery. Even during his convalescence, he lifted the spirits of the wounded. He eventually returned to the Yankee Division, to the joy of both men and dog.

Before Robert Conroy smuggled Stubby home at the end of the war, Stubby served18 months in 17 battles on the Western Front in France.

Due to his injuries in April 1918 by German hand grenades, Stubby received two wound stripes and a medal of honor.

Marching in many US parades and meeting three Presidents, Sergeant Stubby became a celebrity and received a Humane Society medal from General John J. Pershing, the commanding general of the United States Armies. He even became a member of The American Legion.

When Conroy enrolled in law school at Georgetown University, Stubby came along and became one of the school’s first mascots.

He was the subject of several books and has a brick in the Walk of Honor at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City.

Sergeant Stubby died March 16, 1926 in his sleep in his owner's arms. His body was preserved and presented to the Smithsonian Institute in 1956. He rests at the Price of Freedom Exhibit in the National Museum of American History where he and his story are on display. The soldiers with whom he served—especially Conroy—remembered him with love and gratitude for the rest of their lives.

In 2018 an animated film was made about his heroic life, "Sgt Stubby: An American Hero", which can currently be viewed on Roku and Amazon Prime.

Sources FamilySearch.org & bostonterriernetwork.com

Sergeant Stubby in his handmade uniform

Photo from Canva