Fort MacArthur K-9 Command -- First Dog Arrives at Fort Mac!

It's been a long time since I've posted on this blog, so it's overdue for an update! I've completed more  research on the World War II era Fort MacArthur K-9 Command. Someday I'd like to write the history of this interesting facet of Los Angeles Harbor history, but in the meantime I'll post some historical tidbits.  

The original Fort MacArthur K-9 Command was organized in December 1940 "for the purpose of conserving manpower and strengthening the guard by replacing men with dogs." This was according to Colonel Francois H.K. Reynolds of the Veterinary Corps Chief, Veterinary Section of Service Command Surgeon as written in the History of the Veterinary Activities of the Ninth Service Command (World War II).

The original Canine Command at Fort MacArthur consisted of six dogs obtained through donations by civilians. The number would increase to thirty in January 1942. 

The first dog offered to the fort was a two-year old German shepherd named Lady from nearby Wilmington. Here is an article from the San Pedro News Pilot from February 7, 1941 that describes this:

Fort MacArthur K-9 Command

Ft. MacArthur in San Pedro, California started training dogs and turning them into sentries and "soldiers" even before the well-known "Dogs for Defense" program was fully formed in the early years of World War II. 

The following story is from the Dallas Morning News, October 13, 1942:

Sentry Dog AWOL Over Attachment For Motorcycle

FORT MACARTHUR, Calif., Oct. 12 (AP).-- Every time a motorcycle went by it made King, a big black and tan shepherd sentry dog, homesick.

So the other day when one passed he jumped an eight-foot barbed wire-topped fence and went A.W.O.L. for the second time. A bewildered man later turned him over to San Pedro police with the explanation he had found King curled up contentedly beside his motorcycle.

Police checked King's licence tag and solved the puzzle. The dog has belonged to Motorcycle Officer Orville Clutterman of Van Nuys, who gave him to Fort MacArthur for sentry duty.

King is back at the fort, ordered confined to quarters for two days, but Sergt. Robert Pearce, trainer and handler of sentry dogs, is keeping a motorcycle around until King forms new affections.

Fort MacArthur K-9 Command, Part 2

Private Accepts War Dog Assignment with Fort MacArthur K-9 Command

In early 1942, one of the sergeants at Fort MacArthur asked for volunteers to work with the fort's new Canine Command and warned that it's "not going to be easy work and we don't want sissies."

Initially there were no takers for the difficult job that consisted of helping to train dogs for sentry duty at the sprawling base.

After the sergeant reframed his pitch stressing that the soldier who did this job would be doing a great service, Private Raymond J. Diekman stepped forward and said "I'll take the job" -- even though he had acquired a fear of dogs while driving on a truck route in Illinois before the war. As recounted in a local Illinois newspaper at the time, Diekman thought this would help him get rid of his dislike of dogs.

Shortly thereafter Diekman's Fort MacArthur service consisted of wearing padded suits, acting as a bad guy in the K-9 training program. His job was to let the dogs attack him.

Not only did Diekman overcome his fear of dogs, but he also had his fifteen minutes of fame. His photograph was seen in newspapers, magazines, and even thousands of theaters in the Warner Brothers 10-minute movie "Sniffer Soldiers" -- in which he demonstrated the training program for Army dogs at Fort MacArthur as "sentries, messengers, pack dogs, airplane spotters and other duties."

*above image credit: Cy La Tour, likely taken at Fort MacArthur in 1942 or early 1943, unknown if this shows Diekman