The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 84

2004:05:31:22:12:25 CALIFORNIA VN B5 LOSANGELESTIMES ADVERTISING MAIL PRINTING LOW LOW PRICES (800) 583-2679 www.kennytheprinter.com ON DEMAND PRINTING FAST KENNY PRINTER SaturdayJune5 10am-5pm SundayJune6 10am-4pm Enteryourtalented animalto WIN! Thiseventisguaranteedto improvethelifeofyouranimal! Jim CarolShogren ADOPT-A-THON findyourperfectcompanion! Watchourexpertsatwork! WELLNESSPAVILION amperyouranimalwithFREE andmore! Hundredsofnaturalproducts K-9SportsArena Celebrityjudges KidzFunZone SEMINARPAVILION Leadingexpertsofferingthelatest inhealthandwellnessinformation! FEATUREDATTRACTIONS $2 OFF admissionwiththisad Ticketsavailableatthedoororonline. Onecouponpervisitor.Notbeusedin conjunctionwithanyotheroffer. Forcompleteshowinformationvisit: ADMISSION FamilyPass $30 $10 $8 Students (5-17) Kids (under5) Dogs (onaleash) $8 Free Free By Carla Hall Times Staff Writer Not all bonds forged and sacrifices made during war were commemorated in a public way this Memorial Day weekend. Author and Vietnam veteran John C. Burnam was at the Mall in Washington, D.C., for the dedication of the World War II Memorial, but his passion evolved from his wartime work with Clipper.

And Larry Chilcoat, another Vietnam vet, will hardly forget his constant military colleague, Geisha, whose picture he has carried in his wallet for the last 34 years. Since World War I and continuing in conflicts today soldiers have patrolled, guarded and faced danger with trained military working dogs. The animals are fervently and affectionately remembered by their wartime handlers for their work ethic, companionship and extraordinary ability to smell and hear an approaching enemy yards before a human soldier could. were just fabulous said Chilcoat, a former Air Force sergeant whose job was to patrol all night at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base in Vietnam from March 1969 to March 1970. It was lonely, scary duty and Geisha, a German shepherd, was both protector and companion.

the one that kept me awake, kept me said Chilcoat, 56, who lives in Rockport, Texas, and is a member of the Vietnam Dog Handlers Assn. spent a lot of time in one-sided Chilcoat would patrol the perimeter of the base, watching Geisha for her freezing in mid-stride, right paw usually in front of her left, her body stiffened or her ears up, staring in one direction. dog is your said Burnam, 57, who patrolled with two different dogs, Timber and Clipper, as part of the 44th Scout Dog Platoon, and later wrote the book Tags of After Timber was injured was never the Burnam worked with Clipper: job was to lead combat patrols into enemy territory as the tip of the we were crossing a clearing of short grass, if he stops and stands rigid, his ears pop up and the hair on his neck would raise Burnam said Clipper could hear the metallic click of a gun chamber long before he and his fellow soldiers could. Monuments to these dogs, mostly German shepherds and Belgian Malinois prized for their intelligence and stamina military bases and pet cemeteries across the country. One of the best-known sits in a courtyard at the March Field Air Museum, adjacent to the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside.

Books, documentariesand websites chronicle stories of dogs and their handlers. Posted along with the online essays are numerous photos of young soldiers, in fields and camps, sometimes squatting next to a dog, an arm slung around the stalwart back in a comradely hug. That stance of the soldier next to his alert dog may be immortalized in a proposed national monument to war dogs recognize the service and sacrifice of dogs for over 90 said Burnam, who lives in Virginia and is one of a group of veterans lobbying Congress for such a monument. of them died saving combatants and time they get a national Dogs have served as sentries, scouts, messengers and detectors of bombs and mines. Today, all military dogs are trained at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and dispatched worldwide, including to Iraq.

Areported 4,000 dogs served in Vietnam, but few returned to the United States. (Chilcoat says his dog died of illness in Vietnam.) Some were given to the South Vietnamese army. Many were euthanized, as military dogs were considered unadoptable. However, retired military dogs now are allowed to be adopted. The monument in the courtyard of the March Field Air Museum was dedicated in 2000 and is the site of a commemorative ceremony held annually in February.

And in San Pedro at Ft. MacArthur, tucked into a corner of the grounds, is a dog cemetery that includes the remains of mili- tary dogs that stood watch over the Nike missile sites in the Los Angeles area. During the 2000 dedication at the March Field Air Museum, Fred Lincoln, an 82-year- old Air Force veteran and museum volunteer, met Chilcoat and heard the story of his dog. Moved by the account and saddened that so many Vietnam service dogs were euthan- ized, the Riverside man paid to have tiles placed around the memorial in remembrance of the canine soldiers. One tile bears the names of Larry Chilcoat and Geisha, along with serial number.

just felt the dogs deserved a better Lincoln said. STATUE: Shane Parvin, 7, admires the memorial for military dogs killed in action at March Field Air Museum. Canines Courageous Were Best Friends Even in Battle Photographs by de Los Angeles Times REMEMBRANCE: Military names are inscribed on tiles surrounding the March Field Air dogs memorial. A Riverside memorial honors military dogs. Veterans are lobbying for a national monument to the service animals.

Ken Walker, father, said the family had observed many Memorial Days but none so heartfelt as this one. became a lot more personal and emotionally charged for me, in some respects like an emotional he said. His son had been in Iraq for only six weeks, after having finished a tour as a drill instructor, asought after and honored position. It was ironic, said Walker, because as a youth his son had been a rebel. was worried that he might go down the path that all families are afraid of, but God intervened and sent him off to the Marines.

And then God chose to take If the Memorial Day services bore solemn witness to the memory of the departed, they also served to acknowledge the fellowship of those still living. Knots of soldiers, sailors and airmen, recognizing a decoration or a combat unit stenciled into a cap or T-shirt, stopped to reminisce or salute one another. After the ceremonies at the National Cemetery, Art Howard, 71, a 7th Cavalry helicopter pilot in Korea and Vietnam, wanted to shake hands with Morton Wolk, 88, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division who dropped from the first plane carrying soldiers to Normandy. a bond between him and me, a bond between all soldiers, sailors and noted Howard. have to come out and honor and thank people for their sacrifices while still Elsewhere, a portion of Santa Monica Beach was festooned with hundreds of small crosses planted in the sand to honor the fallen in Iraq.

The Los Angeles chapter of Veterans for Peace, which organized the event dubbed after the famed capital cemetery put a list of 810 soldiers on a table with their name, rank, military affiliation and the date of death. With the list were stacks of writing paper and boxes of rubber bands, and below the table, large containers of flowers. Participants were invited to write personal tributes. Lee Ernst, a surgical technician from Los Feliz, remembered her friend, Army Spec. Frances M.

Vega, 20, who was killed with four others when the mail delivery helicopter in which she was riding was shot down over Iraq on Nov. 2, 2003. She wrote her name on a piece of paper, placed a stargazer lily in front of it and secured them to the cross with a rubber band. Then, she stepped back and offered a prayer. is a time of she said, not only for Vega, but also her grandfather, father and uncle, who all served their country in uniform.

Karin Woodward, a Los Angeles artist, who helped read the names of the war dead, was overcome with emotion when she came to names of young soldiers and had to stop to compose her- self. is a place for people to she said. honors. It acknowledges the human cost of the By late afternoon, most crosses on the beach had flowers and notes in front of them. At the cross honoring Marine Lance Cpl.

Ruben Valdez 21, of 3rd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Division, 2nd Marine, someone had written simply: Attached to it was a daisy. In Orange County, Memorial Day observances were held in Seal Beach, La Palma, Westminster, Santa Ana and Fullerton, where more than 2,500 visitors and military personnel attended the 66th annual celebration. observance, one of the oldest in Orange County, paid a special tribute to the sea-lift command, which has shipped of the supplies to Iraq. The event was sponsored by the American Veterans Memorial a volunteer group that placed a small cross and flag on more than 3,000 graves at Loma Vista Memorial Park. Guest speaker Navy Capt.

Juan L. Chavez, commander of the Military Sealift Command of the Pacific in San Diego, told of the contributions made not only by soldiers and sailors, but merchant mariners. During World War II, 9,487 merchant mariners died, he said. born and raised after World War II have come to expect that our military strength and world position are Chavez said, adding: is not free; the victory was not without Times staff writers K. Connie Kang and David Reyes contributed to this report.

Tribute in the Sand Honors Those Killed in Latest Iraq War Memorial, from Page B1 Ken Hively Los Angeles Times HOMAGE: Klara Bieber places flowers beside crosses at Santa Monica Beach. Thousands flocked to beaches for the holiday..