- G.I. Joe (pigeon)
G.I. Joe (
March 24 ,1943 inAlgiers -June 3 ,1961 inDetroit ) is possibly one of the most famouspigeon s in world history, serving much of its life in theUnited States Army Pigeon Service as one of over 54,000 pigeons in the force.In
World War II , G.I. Joe saved the lives of the inhabitants of the village of Calvi Vecchia,Italy , and of the British troops stationed there. The village was scheduled to be bombarded by the Allied forces on 18 October1943 , but the message that the British had captured the village, delivered by G.I. Joe, arrived just in time to avoid the bombing. Over a thousand people were saved. [cite book |last=Levi |first=Wendell |title= The Pigeon|year= 1977|publisher= Levi Publishing Co, Inc|location= Sumter, S.C.|isbn=0853900132 ]In November
1946 , G.I. Joe was presented with a high award, theDickin Medal for gallantry.References
* [http://www.faircountclub.com/faircount_facts_info_gijoe.htm Otto Meyer's account of G.I.Joe] Retrieved
9 December 2007
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.