Army dog wins animal VC
Fri, December 20, 2002
Source: Ananova
An Army dog has been awarded the animal world's equivalent of the VC for bravery in the face of the enemy.
Army dog wins animal VC
An Army dog has been awarded the animal world's equivalent of the VC for bravery in the face of the enemy. German Shepherd Sam is only the 59th winner of the Dickin Medal in its near 60-year history of handing out gallantry accolades - mainly to pigeons who carried messages across enemy lines in wartime.
Sam and his handler Sgt Ian Carnegie kept a missile-throwing mob at bay in the Bosnian conflict in 1998, protecting civilians under siege in a warehouse safe haven. He is given the canine Victoria Cross posthumously following his death from natural causes last year, a few months after retiring from active service. Sam was 10.
The awards - created in 1943 to mark the contribution of animals to the war effort - are decided on by the PDSA animal charity. Sgt Carnegie will collect the medal at the Royal Army Veterinary Corps HQ in Camberley, Surrey, next month.
Corps spokesman Lt Col Gerald Dineley said: "Sam upheld the very best traditions of British army dogs. He was a wonderful and loyal servant to his handler, who was extremely fond of him." His citation reads: "For outstanding gallantry during conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovinia while assigned to the Royal Canadian Regiment in Drvar ...his true valour undoubtedly saved the lives of many servicemen and civilians."
A Bosnian Muslim mob had surrounded a warehouse holding about 50 ethnic Serb civilians. Sam and handler Sgt Carnegie guarded the main entrance, facing a hail of rocks. Rioters repeatedly tried to get through windows, but Sam ignored several injuries to chase them off. Reinforcements eventually arrived. Sgt Carnegie won a mention in dispatches.
The medal was last awarded to three New York fire rescue dogs for searches after September 11. The first dog winner was Rob, who made more than 20 parachute descents with Second World War troops. Sam is the 23rd.
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