Sam (army dog)
Sam (died 2000) was an army dog who served with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps Dog Unit. While serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, Sam helped to apprehend an armed man and also to hold back an armed mob besieging a compound where Serbs were taking refuge. He received the Dickin Medal, the animals' equivalent of the Victoria Cross, in 2003 for these acts of bravery. Life and career. Sam was a German Shepherd that served with the Dog Unit of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. Sam and his handler, Sergeant Iain Carnegie, were part  of the Peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While patrolling in the town of Drvar in 1998 with the First Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment, their patrol came under fire from a gunman. After firing, the gunman ran into a bar, whereupon Sam chased him and brought him down. Sergeant Carnegie then disarmed the man and retrieved a loaded pistol. Six days after this incident, a mob of rioters armed with crowbars, clubs and stones surrounded a compound where about 50 Serbs were taking refuge. Sam's team managed to force their way into the compound and he held  off the rioters until reinforcements arrived. Sam retired from service two years later, at the age of 10. He died from natural causes soon afterwards. Recognition. Sam posthumously received the Dickin Medal, the animals' equivalent of the Victoria Cross, in 2003 in recognition of his work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the fifty ninth animal to receive the award, and was also the first army dog to receive the Dickin Medal since 1944. The citation for the award, which was given on 14 January 2003, read as follows: His handler, Sergeant Carnegie, mentioned after receiving the posthumous award on  behalf of Sam that he could never have attempted to carry out his duties without Sam. He also mentioned that Sam never backed off when facing the rioting mob.