Canny Canines Help GI's Fight Vietcong in South Vietnam

Description

OF NEWSFILM RELEASE A OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PUBLIC AFFAIRS) UNITED STATES OF WASHINGTON, D.C. - 20301 PLEASE NOTE DATE IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 6, 1967 OXford 7-5111 Number: V-297-67 Footage: 94' Time: 2:37 Room 2E 771 16mm color composite print CANNY CANINES HELP GI'S FIGHT VIETCONG IN SOUTH VIETNAM (Official Department of Defense motion picture film by the U. S. 6 Air Force under the direction of the MACV Office of Information) At the Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam, newly arrived Marines and their scout and sentry dogs renew their stateside training before receiving their mission assignments in the war against the Vietcong. All of the dogs are German shepherds. The canines serving as scout dogs are trained at the Army's Fort Benning, Georgia, while the dogs serving sentry duty are trained at the Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The dogs are trained with their handlers and both go overseas as a team. The basic training cost for each dog is about $2,000. The dogs receive frequent refresher training courses while serving in Vietnam and special emphasis is placed on hand and arm signals which are used when battle conditions make voice commands impossible. When a handler's tour of duty is up, the dog is retrained with another Marine. There are 28 dogs in this platoon. In fighting an elusive enemy like the Vietcong these dogs have proved invaluable both in helping prevent sneak attacks on U. S. bases and on reconnaisance patrols. Many of the dogs have been wounded and a few have been killed in action. SEQUENCES FOOTAGE VIDEO AUDIO 3 (a) Sentry Scout Dog Sign wild sound 13 (b) Dogs and handlers walk 11 17 (c) Dogs run obstacle course 11 18 (d) Dog attacks mock intruder 11 19 (e) Dog on patrol attacks mock Vietcong 11 20 (f) Dog flushes out second mock Vietoong 11 2 (g) Dogs in pen area 11 2 (h) L. S. dog cemetery 11 NOTE TO EDITOR: 94' 16mm color composite print released to NBC-TV, CBS-TV, ABC-TV, UPI-Newsfilm, Telenews and a master and optical track to Deluxe Laboratory. EDITORS: PLEASE CREDIT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IN TITLE OR COMMENTARY. This is a "V" series color composite print released to each individual DOD pool member and is available commercially to non-pool members and other authorized agencies from Deluxe Laboratories, 850 Tenth Avenue, New York City, telephone CIrcle 7-3220.

Collection

Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Series

Filmed News Releases