November 21, 2008

To honor the thousands of dogs that served and died during the Vietnam War, veteran Johnny Mayo has created a traveling memorial. This patch gives an emblem to the cause. (Pet Pulse Photo by Joe Bonner)

TALLAHASSEE -- Only 204 of the 4,000 dogs that served in the Vietnam War survived. Their lives, however, were not lost in vain: the service dogs have been credited with preventing more than 10,000 casualties in the war.

Now, one man is trying to honor the dogs who fought and died for their country.

"We always hoped that they had a good day, because a bad day is a loss of life of you, your dog, and possibly several guys behind you," said Vietnam veteran Johnny Mayo, of the 73rd Airborne Brigade, 39th Scout Dog Platoon, U.S. Army.

During his tour of duty as a Scout Dog Handler, Mayo was paired with two dogs, Tiger and Kelly. Tiger's combat service lasted just four days -- but those four days saved Mayo's life.

"He hit a trip wire on the second mission and died 10 days later," Mayo said.

Shortly after the loss of Tiger, Mayo was given another dog, Kelly, who had already been to the front lines. The two worked together throughout Mayo's two year stay in Vietnam.

Now, almost 40 years later, not a day goes by when Mayo doesn't think about his dogs.

"When Tiger was killed, I used his equipment on Kelly and I was able to bring that home," Mayo said. "I've often put my nose to that leather and you imagine the scents of the dogs there."

After serving in Vietnam, Mayo returned home to the states without either dog. Though Tiger had died in combat years before, Kelly, classified as property of the U.S. Army, was not permitted to leave Vietnam.

The military considered war dogs as surplus equipment to be left behind or euthanized when conflicts ended. It wasn't until 2000 that an adoption policy was put into place.

But for Mayo, it was the lingering memories of Tiger and Kelly that sparked a call to action: Why not honor all 4,000 dogs?

His dream became a reality in 2006, when the Vietnam Military Working Dog Memorial was developed and erected, moving from city to city, complete with a kennel sign wall honoring each dog that served.

"The dog knew what was expected of him. You had to be his boss. With Tiger, 9-alpha-34. Every dog had a four digit ID number. Over the years, very few handlers forget their ID number," Mayo said.

Mayo now lives in Columbia, S.C. His traveling memorial continues to weave its way across the country, but the ultimate goal is a permanent memorial in Washington D.C.

As President Bush has voted against donating land to the project at the National Mall and Memorial Parks, the Vietnam War Dog Memorial may one day find a permanent home in suburban Virginia.

Until then, Mayo will continue to maintain his traveling memorial, ascertaining no one forgets some of the "real" heroes of the Vietnam War.

For more information on the Vietnam Military Working Dog Memorial, visit snipurl.com/JohnnyMayo.

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