[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 22, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5490-S5491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           IKE AND DUCKWORTH

  Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, in the Wall Street Journal yesterday 
there was an article entitled ``They Also Served Who Bark and Sniff.'' 
I think perhaps some Members of the Senate may have missed this. Since 
tonight is the night we honor President Eisenhower, I urge all Members 
to read this very touching story about a small dog that was a mascot to 
the Air Corps in World War II and what Ike did about that.
  I ask unanimous consent that this article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              [From the Wall Street Journal, May 20, 1996]

                  They Also Served Who Bark and Sniff

                          (By Frank Whitsitt)

       Time has run out on World War II anniversary stories, but 
     there's an overlooked one, about a general and a dog. It came 
     to light in a recent exhibit at the Eisenhower Library, in 
     Abilene, Kan., that showed what animals--either as beasts of 
     burden or as mascots--have meant to the armed forces, which 
     we honor today, Armed Forces Day.
       Three young Army fliers were inseparable during their World 
     War II training in Florida until the day one of them, 
     Bostonian John Stuart Duckworth II, was transferred to Texas. 
     His pals, Richard East of New York and Harold Taff of 
     Indiana, went hunting for a squadron mascot to name for 
     Duckworth. At a city pound in St. Petersburg, they plucked 
     off death row a small, black-and-white springer spaniel with 
     an irresistible way of cocking his head.
       Duckworth the dog flew a lot of bombing missions in 
     Northwest Africa. He was always the first off after the 
     bomber rolled to a stop. He'd head for the landing gear's 
     left wheel and do what's expected of a dog cooped up for 
     hours. When Lts. East and Taff switched to fighter planes, 
     the mascot was grounded. Nonetheless, he would patiently 
     await one or the other's return.
       But the day came--April 4, 1943--when Lt. East did not come 
     back. He was listed as missing in action until Allied forces 
     found the wreckage of his plane when they moved into Tunis. 
     Lt. Taff took the loss hard. Dick East had been the best man 
     at his wedding. And it took some time for Duckworth to 
     realize that Lt. East would never fly back into his life. For 
     days he had waited at the airfield, his excitement over each 
     landing fading when someone other than Lt. East deplaned. But 
     the dog still had Lt. Taff, and Lt. Taff still had Duckworth.
       Unaware of this relationship, Lt. East's father, Bion R. 
     East of the Columbia University medical faculty, wrote Gen. 
     Dwight Eisenhower, asking if the dog could be sent to him and 
     the grieving mother.
       Ike directed that every effort be made to do so. Duckworth 
     was put aboard a plane to start the journey to the States. 
     But Ike was soon notified that a flier named Taff was 
     heartbroken over losing the dog and was remaining with the 
     plane until it took off. Putting military morale first, Ike 
     wrote Dr. East of his decision to return the dog to Lt. Taff. 
     Then Ike shared with Dr. East what his own dog meant to him. 
     Ike's words may explain why he interrupted his rather 
     important job of kicking the Nazis out of Africa

[[Page S5491]]

     merely because of the friendship between a man and his 
     dog:
       ``The friendship of a dog is precious. It becomes even more 
     so when one is so far removed from home as we are in Africa. 
     I have a Scottie. In him I find consolation and diversion. 
     For me he is the one `person' to whom I can talk without the 
     conversation turning back to the war. Duckworth is performing 
     a patriotic service. I am confident you will view the 
     situation similarly despite the natural desire to have this 
     close companion of your gallant son.''
       Dr. East wrote Lt. Taff, apologizing for nearly separating 
     him and Duckworth, and asked, ``When you have returned to 
     your wife and family, would you consider letting us keep 
     him?'' So Duckworth stayed, and the war went on.
       Young Lt. Taff, daring, skillful and lucky, survived nearly 
     100 missions. His commanders decided he had given enough and 
     sent him home. The squadron agreed that Duckworth should 
     accompany him, that the dog, too, had gone the extra mile. 
     Three days after their departure, Dr. East got a call from 
     Chicago. ``This is Harold Taff, came the words. ``I've 
     brought Duckworth home to you and Mrs. East.''
       The Easts' Plainfield, NJ., residence was not the home Lt. 
     East grew up in. When he entered the house, Duckworth was 
     casual until he reached a room where the Easts has placed 
     their son's possessions. He became excited, jumping on the 
     son's bed. Then he sniffed out the clothing and uniforms in 
     the closet. His every action confirmed that this room would 
     be his. And so it was the rest of his days.
       A couple of years later Dwight Eisenhower came to Columbia 
     for a convocation honoring World War II leaders. Dr. East got 
     a chance to greet Ike. ``General, do you remember 
     Duckworth?'' he asked. The quick Eisenhower grin showed that 
     he did. ``You must be Dr. East,'' he said. ``I'd sure like to 
     meet that dog.''
       While Ike and Duckworth did not meet on the first occasion, 
     there were opportunities to do so after the general became 
     president of Columbia in 1948. What a fitting capstone it 
     would have made for the little wartime morale booster had Ike 
     and he become good friends at Columbia. But Dr. East's seven 
     typewritten pages about Ike and Duckworth, filed in the 
     university's archives, are silent on that possibility.

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