My War Dog Prince-16×5
I have to say I don’t have one favorite. I also have to say, that Prince-16×5 was, and will always be my very most favorite animal. He was a war dog, and he brought me and a bunch of other troopers home in one piece
This was written in 2015
43 years and a wake-up ago…
…the overarching bellow of white noise slowly abated. There was no other sensation for a few moments. It seemed an age. I heard the soft but hurried footpads of your approach. I felt your paw on my chest; heard the anxious soft whine on each intake of your breath. I felt the liquid sensation of your tongue on my cheek. I opened my eyes. I saw your face…I was alive.
I now think that from my first-moment in-country, I was destined to be with you, boy. I desperately needed a companion and a guardian, and you had to be him. I finally understood what was meant back at Fort Benning when they spoke of “bonding.”
From our first duty at the PX supply yard to the Air Force Bomb depot to sapper sweeps outside the wire, you never failed to keep me safe. You never allowed harm to come between us, always leading, ever protecting. My demise was my own doing, and yet you still saved me.
As fierce a guardian as you were, you were still my big old cuddly Prince who loved to frolic and would belly crawl a mile to play with or comfort a child. Your tenacity through the terrible, horrible carnage of the battlefield saved two little ones, despite our best efforts to close our eyes. By saving them, you once again saved me. We lived the mission to its fullest and protected the innocent, not through my intrepid determination but through yours.
As my spirit faded with the realization of the futility of our efforts understanding that we would, in the end, turn away from these people you served on and reminded me always of our duty, honor, and service. A better soldier I never met. A better friend? Only in my dreams, as we play Frisbee on a free open field surrounded by throngs of laughing children.
43 years and a wake-up ago, I opened my eyes. I saw your face for the last time…Good boy!
Prince (16X5), 34th IPSD-P, 3rd Bde, 1st Cav, Bien Hoa, RVN 1972
Explore the Archive
If you’re new here, this is the best way to explore the journey so far. Just click on an underlined link.
- Photo Showroom (for sale items by genre)
- My Blog Posts in chronological order
To read any of the writing listed blow press the purple button.
- Pups & Ponies Book I – fiction book – in progress here
- Doh-Rey-Me Book 1 – fiction book – written here
- Doh-Rey-Me Book 2 – fiction book – written here
- K9LTW Book 1 – fiction book – written here
- K9LTW Book 2 – fiction book – written here
- Mystery of Willow Woods – fiction short Story – written here
- The Last Signal – fiction book – written here
- Rift Guardians – fiction book – written here
- Burtt the Blade – fiction book – for sale
- Shorty’s Path – non-fiction auto biography – for sale
Bonus Fiction Feature:
If you read any of the fiction I create here to the end, you will be able to download a free digital copy when It’s complete. If I get a referral from you, I’ll throw in the fiction – Burtt the Blade. You can let me know your progress via the comment box at the end of each post.
NOTE: All photos are Mine, taken from Public Domain, or AI Generated according to my prompts. I’ll usually let you know which is which. Sometimes I forget.
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