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.” |