NL-13-1638276 Jan Aarden

This is Cher Ami. Today is the 100th Anniversary of the day she died

She is a homing pigeon who saved 194 men in WW1. Her years of service were from 1914-1918.

In October 1918, more than 194 men were trapped behind enemy lines. They were surrounded and the people who got sent out to deliver messages were also shot down too.

They had 3 pigeons who could send messages. The first two were shot down so they turned to Cher Ami. They attached the note to her leg and sent her off. She was shot down too, but managed to get back up.

Cher Ami arrived in 25 minutes, despite being shot through the chest, blinded in one eye and had her leg hanging by a tendon (it was the same leg that carried the message).

She became the hero of the 77th Infantry Division. Her leg was unfixable but a small wooden one was carved for her. She was taken back home by boat and lived until she was 9, and died 13th June, 1919.

She won the Croix de Guerre and a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers.

Cher Ami was stuffed and mounted, and she is displayed next to the famous war dog Sergeant Stubby.

The Dickin Medal was given to 54 animals between 1943 and 1949.

32 of them went to pigeons.

Sergeant Stubby had a movie made about him, but where's Cher Ami's? Why is there so much hate about this bird nowadays despite the fact many of them saved lives?

Where's the modern day support for pigeons? Why do I see people in town kicking them around? I wish people would have more respect for them as much as I do...

Cher Ami means great friend in French. ... See MoreSee Less

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