Read Online A Dog With a Destiny by Isabel George - Free Book Online
Authors: Isabel George
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a visit from the Japanese soldiers as they had passed through. Bill had seen some of the villagers taking food scraps from bins to feed to their families. When it was decided the soldiers should leave the locals’ houses and return to their tents, the villagers offered to help in the move and carry out some of the practical tasks in return for food and American dollars. It was a plan that worked very well for everyone. The food and the work and payment changed the lives of the locals who had been left with nothing. But this was still a war zone and the nightly explosions and hails of gunfire were a stark reminder of reality amongst the palm trees and the sand. Every time the red alert sounded, Bill knew he had to cup his hands over Smoky’s ears to muffle the sound. She was very nervous now and Bill was afraid that if he let her go, she would run away in fear.
The aerial photography was becoming more and more vital to the strategy of the war in the Pacific than ever before. Each day, a specially assigned pilot flew sets of prints collated by 26th Recon to MacArthur’s command post and to his generals. Admiral Nimitz and his fleet commanders received sets of images too. There was a general feeling that they were part of something bigger. It was not the first time they had experienced being under attack but it was the first time they had worked directly with the front line. The twenty-four-hour shifts at the photo lab put everyone under immense pressure so having Smoky there as a happy distraction was very welcome. She worked the same shifts as Bill and, when possible, Bill would do extra shows for the guys on the opposite shift. Smoky cheered everyone’s day.
A visit from Sergeant Bob Gapp from the Communications Section revealed a serious problem at the airstrip. ‘We need to get our telephone lines through a drainage culvert – it is eight inches wide and runs sixty feet under the taxiway,’ said Gapp. ‘I saw a newsreel where a cat did that in Alaska … and it seems Smoky is a smart dog and, I thought, maybe we could coax her through the pipe?’ He went on to explain that if Smoky could do this it would save days of work removing the steel matting, digging up the culvert, putting in the wire and reversing the process. If Smoky could do this she would, potentially, be saving lives and equipment.
But would Smoky go down the narrow pipe? Bill wanted to know just two things from Gapp: Could you see light at the other end of the pipe? And if she got stuck would they dig her out? Gapp confirmed both and on that basis only, Bill agreed to give it a try. They leapt into the sergeant’s weapons carrier and headed for the front line. The idea was to slip a length of lightweight string through Smoky’s collar; something that would break if she became caught. She would have to go down one of three drain culverts which sat side by side. Bill checked them all out and discovered only the middle one was straight enough to see light through to the end. Leaving Gapp with Smoky, Bill moved to the other end of the pipe but just as they got into place one of the new US fighter planes, the P-51 Mustang, taxied over the steel matting. The sound was deafening and poor Smoky shook in Gapp’s hands. Several P-38 engines were being turned over at the same time and the noise was just too much for Smoky. Her little body quivered as the noise shuddered through her tiny frame. Bill could sense this but he had to give this a try. Men’s lives were at stake here.
Eventually the engine noises stopped and Smoky was given time to calm down. After about twenty minutes watching Smoky’s progress, Bill and Sergeant Gapp decided it was time to go. ‘Come, Smoky, come,’ Bill shouted. He could make out a shadow of the little dog’s body at the entrance to the pipe. Her instinct was to turn back but Bill called again, ‘Come, Smoky, come.’ Smoky turned immediately and made her way down the pipe towards Bill. Bill’s heart was in his throat.
The aerial photography was becoming more and more vital to the strategy of the war in the Pacific than ever before. Each day, a specially assigned pilot flew sets of prints collated by 26th Recon to MacArthur’s command post and to his generals. Admiral Nimitz and his fleet commanders received sets of images too. There was a general feeling that they were part of something bigger. It was not the first time they had experienced being under attack but it was the first time they had worked directly with the front line. The twenty-four-hour shifts at the photo lab put everyone under immense pressure so having Smoky there as a happy distraction was very welcome. She worked the same shifts as Bill and, when possible, Bill would do extra shows for the guys on the opposite shift. Smoky cheered everyone’s day.
A visit from Sergeant Bob Gapp from the Communications Section revealed a serious problem at the airstrip. ‘We need to get our telephone lines through a drainage culvert – it is eight inches wide and runs sixty feet under the taxiway,’ said Gapp. ‘I saw a newsreel where a cat did that in Alaska … and it seems Smoky is a smart dog and, I thought, maybe we could coax her through the pipe?’ He went on to explain that if Smoky could do this it would save days of work removing the steel matting, digging up the culvert, putting in the wire and reversing the process. If Smoky could do this she would, potentially, be saving lives and equipment.
But would Smoky go down the narrow pipe? Bill wanted to know just two things from Gapp: Could you see light at the other end of the pipe? And if she got stuck would they dig her out? Gapp confirmed both and on that basis only, Bill agreed to give it a try. They leapt into the sergeant’s weapons carrier and headed for the front line. The idea was to slip a length of lightweight string through Smoky’s collar; something that would break if she became caught. She would have to go down one of three drain culverts which sat side by side. Bill checked them all out and discovered only the middle one was straight enough to see light through to the end. Leaving Gapp with Smoky, Bill moved to the other end of the pipe but just as they got into place one of the new US fighter planes, the P-51 Mustang, taxied over the steel matting. The sound was deafening and poor Smoky shook in Gapp’s hands. Several P-38 engines were being turned over at the same time and the noise was just too much for Smoky. Her little body quivered as the noise shuddered through her tiny frame. Bill could sense this but he had to give this a try. Men’s lives were at stake here.
Eventually the engine noises stopped and Smoky was given time to calm down. After about twenty minutes watching Smoky’s progress, Bill and Sergeant Gapp decided it was time to go. ‘Come, Smoky, come,’ Bill shouted. He could make out a shadow of the little dog’s body at the entrance to the pipe. Her instinct was to turn back but Bill called again, ‘Come, Smoky, come.’ Smoky turned immediately and made her way down the pipe towards Bill. Bill’s heart was in his throat.
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