Dozens of USS Frank Cable (AS 40) Sailors volunteered their time to clean up the War Dog Memorial on U.S. Naval Base Guam April 9.

The Sailors spent several hours bush cutting and cleaning the headstones at the memorial, which honors the highly skilled war dogs that served the Marines on Guam during World War II.

"It felt great to be a part of this clean up, because we are honoring these war dogs that played a vital role during the war," said Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Lonnie McDade of USS Frank Cable, who coordinated the clean-up effort. "We are helping our base look great not only for the tours, but for anyone that wants to come here, and learn about the past.

"It is important to honor memorials such as this because Naval Base Guam has a lot of history from the past," McDade said. "We have to know that history to appreciate what we have today. The Marines counted on these dogs to complete their mission like any other Marine. Those war dogs were brave, and could be counted on to find mines to save lives."

Sometimes referred to as "Devil Dogs," they were trained to search out the enemy hiding in the jungle, detect mines and booby traps, to alert trips in foxholes at night about approaching enemies, and to carry messages, ammunition and medical supplies.

On Guam alone, they led their handlers on more than 550 patrols, encountering enemy soldiers on more than half of them and saved hundreds of Marines lives.

The war dog entered the Marines with the rank of private and could be promoted. Those that died were buried in a temporary military cemetery in Asan, Guam, along with fellow Marines. After the war, most the surviving dogs were retrained and returned to their original owners who had volunteered them as part of the war effort.

"Volunteering in community relations (COMREL) projects are the best way to interact with the local community and to give back," said Machinery Repairman 1st Class (SW/AW) Jeffrey Paulino Tumacder, of Frank Cable. "I enjoy participating because it helps strengthen local and military ties. I highly recommended Sailors to participate in any COMREL project because it makes a big difference representing our command, our Navy, whether they know it or not."

Frank Cable Sailors actively participate in community relations projects throughout the year including cleaning parks and planting trees, mentoring children through the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, and helping at animal shelters, among other projects.

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