15 - Private Alexander Boccardo and Doberman, Private John L. Drugan and Pal
15 - Private Alexander Boccardo and Doberman, Private John L. Drugan and Pal
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Medium: Photograph

Private Alexander Boccardo and Doberman The Marine Corps trained dogs for combat missions at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, during World War II. Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb approved the Marine Corps war dog program in late 1942, with the goal of training a Marine and his dog to fight together as a unit and fit in where needed. The Marines worked directly with the Doberman Pinscher Club of America to acquire well-bred Dobermans, while German shepherds were also sought. Private Alexander A. Boccardo from Scranton, Pennsylvania, is pictured here in 1943 at Camp Lejeune with a Doberman in training. Boccardo received his instruction on how to be a dog trainer from the Army at Ft. Robinson, Nebraska, in the fall of 1942, after he completed basic training. He trained dogs and Marines for most of the war, with eight months spent in the Pacific as a handler in 1943-44. Private First Class Boccardo was discharged from the Marine Corps in early 1946 in North Carolina, where he was still training dogs and handlers. After the war and for the rest of his long life, he was a jeweler and watchmaker in Scranton. Private John L. Drugan and Pal Private John Drugan of Winona, Minnesota, enlisted in the Marine Corps in late 1942 and survived five beachhead amphibious assaults on Pacific Islands during World War II. His occupational specialty in 1945 was combat dog handler with the 4th Marine War Dog Platoon. He and his German shepherd Pal are shown here on Okinawa, where Pal saved a platoon of Marines from an ambush by alerting Private Drugan to a hidden Japanese machine gun nest. Pal found his way into the Marines through Dogs for Defense, a volunteer group that believed dogs could make a significant contribution to the war effort. His owner sent him off to military training, along with 36 other canine recruits from Chicago, in 1942. Pal survived the war and returned to his family in late 1945, after some readjustment training.