On June 1, 2021, I wrote an article about
creating a dog park at Hamnett Park, located on Ohio Avenue in south Lawrence.
On June 2, 2021, I wrote another article that provided insight into the Town’s grant
program. Today, these two subjects come
together to let everyone know that our Grant Czar (my name for her), Brenda
Kramer, has submitted our application and entered the 2021 Bark For Your Park Contest in the hope that we are awarded
money to assist us in “creating a safe, off-leash area for pets and pet parents
to enjoy for years to come” (as the contest describes). I will certainly report back when the winners
are announced.
Here is a link to the application we
submitted if anyone is curious:
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:8c849e04-96fc-4855-a067-205ff1b95c38
Additionally, I thought this was an
excellent opportunity to announce that we intend to name our dog park “Hero Dog
Park” and explain the origin and meaning behind it.
In a Lawrence Historical Society Facebook
post on June 6, 2020, there was a link to a July 13, 1995 article in the
Lawrence Ledger written by James J. Hewitt.
Mr. Hewitt was a Township resident, and his article described his unique
and amazing WWII story about him and a captured Japanese war dog named “Kiska” (later
to be named Moose) that he befriended and took care of while he served his
country in war. The link to that article
is here:
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:afb2c224-b36a-4b11-b4d9-7bf440fbaee1
To summarize the article (but really read the article...it's incredible), PFC Jim Hewitt
served our country in WWII in the 98th Battalion, and was stationed
in the South Pacific on a small island called Butaritari. While there, he met and befriended a captured
and hostile German Shepard dog trained as a war dog by the Japanese army. Eventually, Kiska warmed up to Hewitt and his
unit, and they affectionately renamed him “Moose” to better suit his character.
The two formed a bond like only a man and his dog could under extraordinary circumstances. But it was not to last. Hewitt was transferred off the island and Moose
was transferred back to a U.S. base in Hawaii to attend K-9 training school,
where he eventually entered into the U.S. Army and serve alongside our soldiers. Hewitt, however, always kept track of “his”
dog wanting to be reunited at some point after the war. Just to state the obvious--this dog served in
both the Japanese and U.S. Army during the same war!!!
In 1945, after Hewitt was discharged
from the army, he received a letter from the Central Pacific Base Command
Headquarters. It read, “It is with a deep sense of regret that I
must inform you of the death of your dog Moose, who was killed on June 20, 1945,
in action against the enemy.” It
further described, “While scouting the
enemy-held village with his handler, Moose located and surprised two Japanese
soldiers concealed in the grass, one of whom threw a grenade within two feet of his
handler. Moose knowing it to be a weapon,
leaped on the grenade as it exploded, fatally wounding him but leaving his handler unharmed. Your dog saved the life of his master.”
Mr. Hewitt wrote in his article that, “Somewhere on the Pacific Island of Okinawa,
where Moose died, there is a grave marked, “Moose, U.S. Army K-9 Corps, Army
Serial Number OX-79. Killed in action
against the enemy on June 20, 1945.”
….additional
cool documents (Letter informing of Moose's death, et al.) here:
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:3b8c3e18-741c-4631-8327-683f987b450a
Just wow! What a story!
I honestly had no idea that dogs served in the military during the war
to the degree that Moose did. Anyway,
this story stuck with our Recreation Superintendent, Nancy Bergen, when she read it last year. So, when earlier this year I mentioned to her
that I wanted to create a dog park at Hamnett Park, she immediately started
advocating for the name “Hero Dog Park”
to honor Moose and Lawrence resident Jim Hewitt. And to also provide an opportunity and an area
at the park to celebrate other service dogs.
It took 30 seconds after she explained why it should be named this
before I was in 100% in. Fortunately, our
governing body enthusiastically agreed!
Now, let’s get this done!
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