It was October, 1918. The war would
soon be over; but that was no solace to the 500 men trapped
in The Argonne Forest near Bois de Beuge. They had been
pinned down, trapped by the surrounding enemy, shelled
and machine gunned all day and night for six days. The
men of the United States 77th Infantry Division, the "The
Liberty Division" of NewYork State, had lost 300 killed
and wounded.
Now American Artillery would attempt
to help by firing artillery rounds into
the ravine where the enemy were entrenched.
But the rounds were falling on their
own men. Word must be gotten to the rear
with the exact position of the battalion
or all would be lost within the hour.
There were no radios with which to communicate
their desperation. Major Charles Whittlesey,
battalion commander, sent men to relay
their exact position but they could not
get through.
One final chance remained. Their fate
would rest with the will, determination
and spirit of one of their own. Major
Whittlesly would commit his last brave
carrier pigeon in a desperate attempt
to get word back to their artillery.
They had four birds but he had sent three
others. The first message read, "Many
wounded. We cannot evacuate." A
barrage of bullets had brought the bird
down. He sent a second pigeon "Men
are suffering. Can support be sent?" That
pigeon was shot down too; felled by the
enemy at the first flap of his wings,
as was the third. Only ‘Cher Ami’, ‘Dear
Friend’ as he had been named, remained.
The little canister would be attached
to his leg and he would be sent off on
this impossible flight.
And now he was on his way. At the first lifting of his wings,
the enemy guns erupted in a cacophony of fire. He was hit
almost immediately. Their hearts fell as they saw him falter,
then fall under the barrage of bullets. Incredibly he rose
again, now blinded in one eye and bleeding from the wound.
Then again he was seen plummeting, hit by a bullet which
struck his breastbone, opening a wound the size of a quarter.
The doomed American infantrymen were crushed; their last
hope was plummeting to earth amid a heavy attack of enemy
bullets. It seemed inevitable the little pigeon would fail.
If he did, the 200 men who had so far survive the enemy shelling
and machine gun fire would succumb to their own artillery.
But somehow Cher Ami flew on, carrying his message of hope
in the little canister. “We are along the road parallel
to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage on us.
For heavens sake, stop it.” Read its plea.
Grievously injured, it must only have been his spirit
which enabled the little bird to somehow fly the 25 miles
back to Headquarters. Reaching his coop, he fell in and
lay on his side. The soldiers answering the sound of the
bell found the little bird covered in blood. From the awful
hole in his breast hung the few tendons securing his nearly
severed leg. Attached to that leg was the silver canister
with its all-important message. Word was rushed to the
guns. The barrage was moved over to the enemy positions
and the 77th was saved.
The medics worked to save Cher
Ami. Though his leg had to be amputated, his life was saved.
The men of New York’s 77th Division cared for him
and even carved a small wooden leg for him. The story of
his bravery spread through out the front. He was an inspiration
to the thousands enduring the terrible war in the trenches
of France. The French government awarded the little bird
one of it’s highest honors, The ‘Croix de Guerre’
Cher Ami, the little one-legged hero, was put on a boat
to the United States. As he departed France, General John
J. Pershing, commander of the entire United States Army,
personally saw Cher Ami off and awarded a "silver
medal" to the brave carrier pigeon. Back in the states
Cher Ami became famous as one of the heroes of the World
War. Everyone knew of him as newspapers and magazines spread
ever more glorious versions of his tale. Then on June 13,
1919, less than a year after his epic flight, Cher Ami
succumbed to his multiple war wounds.
Taxidermists preserved the little pigeon, and today visitors
to the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, D.C. can still see Cher Ami, preserved
for history alongside the French Croix de Guerre with palm
that was awarded to him by the French government.
His eulogy
reads;
“One of six hundred birds donated by pigeon
fanciers of Great Briton for use in France during the World
War. Trained by American pigeoneers, and flown from American
lofts, pigeon 1947-18 “Cher Ami” returned to
his loft with a message dangling from the fragments of
a leg cut off by rifle or shell shot. He was also shot
through the breast and died from the effects of this wound
June 13, 1919.” |