Bill Wigginton a close
friend and Memorial Board of Directors request that I post the
following information on the Alabama War Dog Memorial so that
information on their truely wonderful project can be placed before
the public's eye. As I feel that it is a great project being done by
Alabama Citizen you now see it here.
Dogs were serving human beings before recorded
history, especially in the role of protector and war dog. In 2006
the Alabama War Dogs Memorial Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non profit
organization was formed to formally recognize and pay tribute to
military working dogs (war dogs) and their Alabama handlers by
erecting a monument in their honor and telling their story. The
Board of Directors is diverse, comprised of men and women, Veterans
and non-Veterans, military working dog handlers, and business
owners: all who share a common love of dogs and a patriotic spirit
for our country.
In part, the AWDM Foundations mission is to raise
sufficient funds with which to establish and maintain a significant
memorial dedicated to past and present Alabama war
dogs and their handlers, the dog teams that contributed to the
well-being of Alabamians serving in distant lands. The proposed
memorial (Figure One) to the dog-teams that went in harms way,
indifferent to their suffering and life to protect American fighting
men and women, will be called the _Alabama War Dogs Memorial_. The Memorial will be erected
at the USS Alabama Battleship Park in Mobile, Alabama.
After a national search, Clark Memorials, Birmingham, AL was chosen as our monument
partner and contracted to create and install the monument which
consists of three distinct elements. The foundation element is a
gray granite block approximately six feet long, four and a half feet
high, and four feet deep and weighs in over seven thousand pounds,
three plus tons. The bronze figures, add an additional two and a
half feet to the overall height of the monument, represent a war dog
team on point; the depicted dog is catching scent, the dog-handler
is behind the dog watching for the alert-the silent life saving
signal-followed by the kneeling slack man whose job it is to protect
the dog-team and pass the word along to the troops coming up behind.
The six figure scene is titled _The Alert_ and portrays an actual
combat patrol led by the Alabamian war dog team of Little Joe and
his handler Charles _Wade_ Franks
The black granite slab in front of the monument
contains the boot prints of a Vietnam Veteran dog handler and paw
prints of a war dog; this element is called _On Point_ and permits
the viewer to stand on-point in the boot prints of boots that were
actually worn in Vietnam, in combat, by a
decorated dog handler. The main tribute, donor list, and war dog and
handlers plaques finish off the AWDM.
In addition to the AWDM monument, the Board is
actively engaged in raising funds through public and corporate
contributions to create and maintain a Military Working Dog/Police
Dog/Service Dog Retirement Center in Central
Alabama (Figure Two). We define a service dog as any dog
breed specifically trained for a specific role to assist humans in
performing difficult and/or dangerous tasks and/or living a better
life; the five main categories are:
_ Military
(Scout, trackers, detection, security)
_ Law
Enforcement (Police K-9, CIA, FBI)
_ Detection
(Customs, agriculture, and fire)
_ Search
& Rescue (Locate people)
_ Domestic
Partner (Seeing eye, physically
challenged)
A concept team is currently being formed to draft the
initial specifications to achieve and ensure the proposed Service
Dog Retirement Center of Alabama will be a dog-friendly environment
where service dogs not wanted and/or adopted can live out the rest
of their life in serenity and dignity surrounded with compassion,
care, and companionship. Suitable service dogs will be reconditioned
and trained for public adoption. The retirement center will accept
all service dogs on a national basis. Service dogs will reside in
communicable indoor quarters with attached outdoor runs and have
daily access to a stimulating, self-exercise area; state of the art
veterinary medical care will also be provided. Upon passing on, a
dog will be laid to rest with dignity in the on-premise cemetery and
in the company of their buddies.
AWDM Foundation is also dedicated to creating a
statewide awareness by telling the story about military working dogs
and their handlers, especially the role they play in saving lives in
time of peace and war. A war dog handler heads each of our
presentation teams and when possible, a representative dog is
present. Our _Alabama War Dogs_ program is patriotic in nature and
customized to audiences; it_s ideal for schools, churches and other
entities. Audiences across Alabama have found the program
entertaining, educational, and energizing; however, a box of tissue
should be on hand. Our special school program is called
Patriot-Pennies and provides an opportunity for students to donate
pennies to the memorial. To schedule a presentation team for your
event or meeting visit our web site at www.awdm.org.
Further, the AWDM Foundation is an official partner of
the Veterans History Project overseen by the Library of Congress,
and as such records Veterans_ stories and collects related photos
and memorabilia to forward to the Library of Congress archives; each
Veteran receives a copy of their recording. Though we seek and
record all Veterans stories, the AWDM Foundation places a special
emphasis on recording the stories of Alabama military working dog
handlers. This year the Foundation is teaming up with Samford
University and
its students to record Veterans_ stories; please contact us if you
are a Veteran and/or know of a Veteran who wants his or her story
recorded for prosperity.
The Alabama War Dogs Memorial Foundation started with
a simple dream, a memorial that quickly expanded into multiple
programs and projects to honor service dogs and all Alabama
Veterans. The AWDM
Foundation also does presentations for your society, group or
church. Please go to
www.awdm.org
to schedule a presentation, or contact
John O’Malley for additional information, to volunteer your
services, and/or make a contribution. John can be reached at
205-995-8495 or jom@strategicvisionsinc.com. Or you can contact Bill
Wigginton at williamrebecca@earthlink.net , or call me at
205-668-9957.
We need your help. We are trying to find all
the Military Dog Handlers that are from Alabama, lived in Alabama, or was stationed in Alabama. We have identified 34
Alabama Dog Handlers from Alabama, and have been contacted
by only a few of them.
We have also found seven members of the VDHA that were
killed in Vietnam that were from Alabama, and they will be placed on
a separate plaque on the Alabama War Dog Monument dedicated to the
_Honor Roll_ they are:
Freddie Lee Johnson, U.S. Army, 12-07-1977, Vietnam
James Oliver White, U.S. Army, 01-22-1968, Vietnam Charles Douglas
Drysdale, U.S.M.C, 01-26-1969, Vietnam Clarence Creaghead, U.S.
Army, 05-22-1969, Vietnam James C Tosh, III, U.S. Army, 08-21-1969,
Vietnam William Allison Anderson, U.S. Army, 11-06-1969, Vietnam
Carter Parker, Jr., U.S. Army, 10-24-1970, Vietnam If you have any
information about any Military Working Dog handlers from Alabama, or
these seven brave men on our honor roll, please send it to me by
email or at 112 Spring Street, Calera, AL
35040.
Please put our information about our mission on your
website, and spread the word.
We need help of all your members, my fellow Military Dog
Handlers to get this needed memorial built, and also to support our
effort to build a retirement home for all Military Working Dogs,
Police Dogs, and all Service dogs here in central Alabama.
Thank You,
Bill Wigginton
388th Security Police Squadron
K9
Sarge 617X / Blackie X850
U.S.A.F. 1970-1974, U.S.N.
1979-1995
Retired/Disabled
EM1(SW)/E-6
Alabama
War Dog Memorial Board
of Directors
Vietnam Dog Handlers Association
Vietnam Security Police
Squadron | 
