Sgt. Stubby: The Most Decorated War Dog of WWI

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jeremy Swick of the College Football Hall of Fame recounts the remarkable story of the street dog turned soldier turned mascot.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
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(00:52):
want to make sure it's always free to listen to.
And Up next, Jeremy Swick, historian and curator at the
College Football Hall of Fame, tells us this story of
Sergeant Stubby, the street dog turned soldier turned college mascot.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Here's Jeremy Sergeant Stubby of the First World War, the
heroic story of America's most decorated war dog. So who

(01:29):
was Sergeant Stubby? Nobody knows exactly when the dog later
known as Sergeants Stubby was born, but it is thought
to have been during the first half of the First
World War. He was a dog of uncertain breed, describing
early news stories as either a bull Terrier or Boston
Terrier with a short stature, barrel shape, and friendly temperament.

(01:51):
Until nineteen seventeen, it is started he wandered the streets
in New Haven, Connecticut, scrounging for scraps of food, but
he was no ordinary stretch. Just a few years later,
following the end of the First World War, the tenacious
canine would become known as one of the most decorated
dogs in American history. Stubby's fortunes changed in July of

(02:17):
nineteen seventeen when he began hanging around a group of
soldiers members of the one hundred and second Infantry Regiment
as they trained on the grounds of Yale University. One
of the men, a twenty five year old private named
Robert Conroy, took a shining to the young dog and
began to take care of him, naming him Stubby for
his stature and tail. Although the US military didn't yet

(02:42):
have an official military working dog program, Stubby's instincts and
charm made him a fan favorite of the regiment, who
taught him how to raise his paw in salute. By
the time the unit had left for France, Private Conroy
had become so devoted to his new furry friend that
he actually stowed him away in the ship. When a

(03:03):
commanding officer discovered Stubby's presence, the dog responded instinctively by
saluting him. The officer was reportedly rendered speechless by the gesture,
and the incident secured Stubby's place as the official mascot
of the Yankee Division. Stubby was evolved in many battles

(03:27):
while stationed overseas. His sharp ears and ability to hear
the whine of artillery shells before they landed were extremely useful,
and Stubby was particularly helpful in looking for wounded soldiers
in no man's land. His sense of smell, too, meant
that he could readily detect mustard gas attacks. He once
saved an entire company by alerting the men to don

(03:50):
their gas masks. He was present for four offensive and
seventeen battles in total while serving for around eighteen months.
One of Stubby's greatest recorded achievements occurred late one night
on the Western Front. Stubby captured a German spy and
saved a doughboy which is slang for United States entrymen

(04:14):
from a gas attack. Hearing a sound in the stillness
of the night on the Western Front, the dog who
guarded sleeplessly stole out of the trenches and recognized a German.
Attempts by the German to deceive Stubby were futile. Seizing
the prisoners by his breeches, Stubby held on until help arrived.
Alerted by the commotion, Stubby's fellow soldiers were able to

(04:36):
capture and imprison the spy. For his efforts that night,
Stubby was issued an iron cross, metal that had originally
been given to the German spy. Following the war, Stubby
returned home to America. He was honored with the Medal
of Heroism from the Humane Education Society in Animal Protection

(05:00):
organization and met with Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and
Warren G.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Harding.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
After the war, he went on and became the mascot
for a sports team at Georgetown University in Washington, d c.
Where Conroy started law. At the halftime of games, he
was given the football to play with in front of
the fans. He would push the ball with his nose

(05:30):
to great fanfare, which is one of the most exciting
parts about Stubby becoming a mascot for a college football team.
After serving valiently in the First World War, Stubby was
also given the unofficial rank of a sergeant, a higher

(05:51):
rank than his master at the time. In nineteen twenty six,
Stubby died at home, reportedly in Conroy's arms. Stubby had
such that's a great impact on not only his owner
and the regiment, but really the public as a whole.
His obituary was featured in the New York Times and
was given half a column, which was way more than

(06:15):
many notable people of the time. Stubby's legacy lives on
as his body was donated to the Smithsonian Institute, where
it is currently on display.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
And a special thanks to Jeremy Swick for that terrific
piece of storytelling. And what a story it was. Sergeant
Stubby just wandering around for food and New Haven doing
what stray dogs do, looking for the next meal, and
he's adopted by the one hundred and second Infantry training
at Yale University, which is situated in New Haven, and

(06:50):
then it's off to war, where his ears and his
nose served vital functions in protecting his fellow comrades and arms,
and then as a mascot at Georgetown University, his owner
went to Georgetown Law and brought Stubby with him, and
the tradition by the way of the mascot living at

(07:13):
the dorm of Georgetown University to this day prevails the
story of Sergeant Stubby, the most decorated war dog of
World War One. Here on our American story. Folks, if
you love the stories we tell about this great country,
and especially the stories of America's rich past, know that

(07:35):
all of our stories about American history, from war to innovation,
culture and faith, are brought to us by the great
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cut to Hillsdale, Hillsdale will come to you with their
free and terrific online courses. Go to Hillsdale dot edu

(07:55):
to learn more.