The War Dog Memorial at March Field

March Air Force Base in Riverside, California is home to the March Field Air Museum which pays homage to the history of March Field. In addition to over 60 historic aircraft on the site, March Field honors the men, women and dogs who have served.

The War Dog Memorial at March Field was unveiled on February 21, 2000 and is located in the front courtyard of the museum. The bronze sculpture by Thomas Schomberg features a war dog and his handler surrounded by remembrance tiles. These tiles have been purchased by various dog handlers to commemorate the special war dogs that served by their side.

Dogs have been fighting in wars since ancient times. Ancient temple carvings depict dogs in battles, dogs were said to have been in the siege of Corinth and dogs in the middle ages wore coats of chain mail and fought side by side with men. It wasn't until World War I that dogs were used on a grander and more sophisticated scale. The French trained their dogs to search for wounded soldiers, the British war dogs served as messengers and the Italians used their dogs to deliver food and supplies to mountainous areas. The Germans sent over 6,000 war dogs to rescue over 4,000 soldiers.

During World War II, the United States began using war dogs in combat. Over 10,000 U.S. war dogs were trained with about 8500 assigned to the U.S. and about 1900 war dogs and their handlers shipped overseas.

The War Dog Memorial at March Field recognizes these war dogs along with dogs that have served in every war since. In addition to the outside courtyard, the March Field museum has an exhibit indoors featuring war dogs and their history. A tragic footnote to the war dog story is told at this exhibit. Apparently after the Vietnam War ended, the American war dogs were left behind. Of the 4,000 war dogs that served, 500 died from injury, illness or combat wounds. Only 190 war dogs made it home.

According to the Vietnam Security Police Association, the War Dog Memorial at March Field is the first of its kind. A second War Dog Memorial opened at Ft. Benning's Infantry Museum in New Jersey on June 10, 2006. While these may be the first on the continental U.S., Guam, a U.S. territory, actually predates the War Dog Memorial at March Field by about six years. Guam's war dog monument stands guard over the official war dog cemetery at the U.S. Navy base in Orote Point. A push for a national war dog memorial in Washington, DC is currently underway.

The War Dog Memorial at March Field in Riverside is worth a stop to reflect on the contributions and sacrifices these brave dogs gave to us.