Memorial to honor war dogs

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Courier Post

By Jessica Ercolino

Every dog has its day, and Saturday will be for the war dog.

That's when the United States War Dogs Memorial will be unveiled on the grounds of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Holmdel, Monmouth County.

The effort, nearly seven years in the making, is the first led by the nonprofit U.S. War Dogs Association. It recognizes the role of dogs in American warfare.

"This is to honor not just the dogs from Vietnam, but World War II, Korea and all the skirmishes in between," said Ronald Aiello, a Burlington Township resident who is president and co-founder of USWDA.

The life-size bronze statue, created by Hamilton-based sculptor Bruce Lindsay, cost $100,000.

It depicts a soldier in Army fatigues kneeling beside his German shepherd.

Aiello enlisted in the Marines in 1965. He accepted an offer to train war dogs and be reassigned to a restricted area.

"I knew that "restricted area' was Vietnam," he said. "But I knew I was going to end up there anyway, so what better way to go than with a canine by my side."

Aiello became a scout-dog handler.

These dogs led patrols and detected approaching danger, such as ambushes or booby traps.

Lindsay said he created a young but battle-weary soldier to show the difficulty of military duty, but he also strived to illustrate the important relationship between man and dog.

Lindsay said he knew immediately that he wanted to be a part of the memorial.

"My brother was in Vietnam and I'm a dog lover," he said. "It was a very good fit."

For Aiello, his German shepherd, Stormy, was the reason he survived Vietnam. He described her as a friend, companion and "therapy dog."

"If I wasn't a dog handler and I had just gone over there with the infantry, my outlook on life would be much different," he said.

Nearly 4,300 war dogs were used in Vietnam. Three hundred were killed in action, and the rest were abandoned or euthanized.

About 700 war dogs are being used in the Middle East for explosives detection, Aiello said.

The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation initially opposed making any additions to the memorial's site, said Kelly Watts, the foundation's executive director.

"We decided this was an exception we should make," Watts said. "Dogs played an important role in the lives of these veterans, and there really is no other place where they are honored."

The U.S. War Dogs Association has raised $95,000 for the memorial.

The association took out a loan for the last $5,000 but is still accepting donations.

"It's the individuals," Aiello said. "It's the children that give a quarter, the checks for $500 and all the $5 donations in between. They're the ones that pulled together and made this possible."