Smoky, The Smallest War Hero

Tiny is mighty. Smoky, a tiny Yorkshire Terrier, was found in a foxhole in New Guinea in Feb 1944. The American thought she must have been a Japanese soldier’s dog, but when he took her to a POW camp, they realized she didn’t understand commands in Japanese. The soldier sold Smoky to Cpl. William Wynne of Cleveland OH for 2 dollars Australian (about $6.44); he needed the money to get back into a poker game. Smoky became the smallest war hero weighing in at 4 lbs. even and standing 7 inches tall.

Taking care of a dog during wartime and in a jungle environment like New Guinea was challenging. Af...