Detroit evening times., 1943-01-10
Pets That
Live The Lives
Of Heroes

- greeting Gunner Sergeant Alan r. Citron of the
y Army Gunnery School at Haringen, Texas gives
hs when he climbs into the big bomber plane Of
which he is crew member
And Propwash cocks his two ve-inch to present
arms wobbes his in rabbtese asks for lettuce.
But Sergeant Cron doesn't rely entirely upon his pet
rabbit luck because has made necklace for
Propwash from four rabbits
And only a weeks ago the officers of Air
Force Fighter Headquarters of the Royal Air Force with
General Montgomery's Eighth Army in Libya sad
dened by the passing away of Eustace its pet rooster
mascot.
Eustace had been the pride and JOY of the men who
fly Sptfres and Hurricanes over Egypt and Lbya and
Cyrenaica ever since December 191 when he found
Growing Justify and dehantly the of a bombed
despite that the bomb blast had blown Just
about feather from his strngy but ndomitable body
The young British ers took Eustace TO their hearts
anonted his scratches and with the pleasure that
who risk their lives daily take in little things, watched
the Egyptian rooster fat and sleek and brandnew
coat of brilliant feathers. The bird became famous
that press association announced his recent death with
touching details of how he expired the of British
captain who feeding him whiskey from spoon
treatment for the which fatal to Eustace
Ever the legonary foot soggers of julius Caesar
tramped the roads of Gau Britain Spain Greece Italy
and Africa soldiers have had strange fondnes for odd
pets and one the egions with which Roman EN-
pero Vespasan conquered the throne of the Caesars had
its official mascot eagle, caught when young by his
campaign in the Austrian Alps. The bird
trained to perch the standard of the legion replacing
the statuette of golden eagle which part of the
official insignia of Roman regiment.
Paintings found in the tombs of Egyptian warriors who
took the field Of battle with the Pharaoh Rameses H. the
warrior monarch of the Upper and Lower Nile and of
the great conquerors of history show cats riding in the
chariots. The cat only mascot to the
Egyptian fighting man hut considered to be sacred
animal well
Stauary dug Of the ruins of ancient Babylon show
trained lions and leopards of the Assyran
kings and their generals were practical battle
pets because they charged into action with their masters
and wreaked havoc the Of the
occasions.
The fighting mascot Pyrrhus King of Epirls in
Greece who nearly destroyed the Roman power
battle Of Asculum IN 219 B. c. was pet elephant upon
which the monarch rode into battle which
with all the devotion that "a Park dowager be-
slows upon her penthouse Pekincse.
When Private James Dugan who left Rochester New
York to take up rife and a bayonet for France in
1914, recruit, in the Regiment OF the
Foreign Legion he acquired a saloon little
marmoset which christened Victorine
Dugan sodiered with Vctorne until she was killed in
action at the Chemu des Danes 1917 riding
battle against the German lines pcrched the Yank
volunteers pack
After the engagement, Dugan and some comrades
searched until they found the mangcd body little
monkey which they buried military honors firing
squad and all wrapped in tiny French flag Dugan was
nconsoabe for days against the enemy
deepcned into genuine hatred.
The British tradiuonaly Of dogs but one
sH-foot-three sergeant the Guards went
through four years World chershing two redeyed
white mice which h.had trained innumcrable tricks
They went into battle with HIM more than once
One OF the Indian battaons OF the British army in
Mesopotana had for mascot trained cheetah-a long
legged Asiauc wildcat which record says more
near by.
And the first division Of the famous Austraa-Ne,y
I'tlailu army corps mad mascot "tllc Bill
bull kangaroo that had been wounded in action twice
Some twenty years ago company OF the 14th United
states Infantry then stationed the Zone took 10
ITS collective heart baby jaguar kitten For months II
was delightful pet as payf) As little tabby Unfor
tuhate!y babies even baby Jaguars have uuComfor
able habit growing up and one day the copap, mo,
mfed about something. slapped soldier and laid his
forearm open from the elbow 20 tho Even so the
men would have kept HIM had a higher authority
informed by the medical officer what had happened
banshed the beast to the nearest 700.