 At a Japanese airfield, an American war hero is about to take off for home and well-earned retirement. This was the news story just a few years ago. The hero York, a veteran of the Korean War. The attendant publicity helped focus attention on the generally overlooked fact that dogs had been employed in that grim struggle. Perhaps his citation will bring back the story to mind. Remind us too that dogs have been used in warfare since far back into antiquity. Another link in the bond between man and man's best friend. Big Picture. An official report produced for the armed forces and the American people. Now to show you part of the Big Picture, here is Sergeant Stuart Queen. A great many words have been spoken and written on the subject of science and our national defense. Perhaps too many. There are some otherwise intelligent citizens who visualize the new technology as exclusive protector of our freedoms. The machine, they say, is even to outmote manpower. Fortunately, most of us know better than that. Yet even the best informed are inclined to smile indulgently at the idea of animals participating in our military efforts. They know that the carrier pigeon is going the way of the cavalry horse. Soon the army dog will join them. As to the likelihood of this happening, today's chapter of the Big Picture offers some second thoughts. Appropriately it is titled Canine College. Out of the natural companionship that exists between men and dogs comes the latter's easy adaptability to military use. In Korea, his acute senses made him a valuable aid for patrol, sentry and guard work. In conflicts prior to Korea, a wide variety of breeds found their way into military use. These were frequently donated by owners as a patriotic gesture. Size, intelligence, aggressiveness were among the desired characteristics. Bloodlines were unimportant. Nevertheless, out of experience there emerged a preference. Quartermaster Corps procurement and training found in the German Shepherd the closest approximation to the quality sought. It is a strange paradox but nonetheless true that the very nature of modern warfare is creating new uses for old-fashioned dog power. Consider our missile bases, widely located among the nations of the free world and each covering considerable area. The manpower that would ordinarily be required to maintain maximum security and protect against sabotage at these installations would come to a staggering figure. It is here that the army dog, far from having outlived his usefulness, plays a new and an enhanced role. At an increasing number of defense installations, the army dog is making his appearance. Endowed by nature with acute natural senses, he can cover greater areas of surveillance than can in a human sentry. Trained together, man and dog make a perfect team. It is just such training that the Quartermaster Corps provides. At Lenggris in Germany is one of the best-known schools and here a selected group of servicemen are chosen for the work. Private Pets, I have here your application for training with the dog training branch. It shows that you've been in the army for seven months. How do you like it? I like it fine, sir. What were your hobbies in civilian life? Fishing and hunting. Have you ever had dogs as pets? Yes, sir. What breed of dog do you have? Springer Spanish. Why do you think you would like to train dogs in the army? I train dogs in the civilian and I think I'll do the army myself some good. You know they are a pretty large dog and they can bite? Yes, sir. I know they bite, but I think I can handle them. You also know that these dogs take up a lot of patience and hard work to train, don't you? Yes, sir. Well, I think you have the proper qualifications for the job. I wish you the best of luck in your new assignment. Thank you, sir. New arrivals at Lengres can look forward to 17 weeks of intensive training. It starts off with an orientation lecture that stresses the seriousness of the work and the individual's responsibilities. We've been selected from a large group of volunteers. We feel that you possess the qualities of leadership, courage, initiative, and patience to fulfill the mission of an infantry scout dog platoon. As you know, dogs have been used for military purposes for hundreds of years. The United States Army first used dogs for military use in the last war in World War II. And although your course of instruction here will consist of only 17 weeks, we will make every effort in training you to be able to carry on a training program of your own when you reach your infantry division. Today, you men will be assigned the dogs that you will be working with for the next 17 weeks. These dogs, by nature, are quick to learn. The dogs will learn faster than you will. But with your effort and with your patience, we will be able to train you and, in turn, your dog will automatically become trained. Well, a little professional jealousy. So let's listen to Bendix, one of our new Army dogs. Thank you. And now me, I tell you about us. The German Shepherds are recruited through public sales, though not every Schaeferhut wants to join. But then the Army doesn't want everybody. Obviously, the military can't use gun-shy softies. And so, before they even test us for other qualities, the fireworks have eliminated quite a few. And then there is a field test for aggressive qualities. The Army is quite serious about it, but, confidentially, it's more like a game to me to some of the others, too. And it's easy to be carried away. Later, we learned that that's precisely what the procurement officers want. Apparently, when we are finished with school, we'll be expected to turn on the old fight at a word of command. And this is the time to drop the applicants who don't have it. By the by, that was a hoon at the end is me. Sorry, please, I meant I. Needless to say, we undergo a rigid physical training. But when one is in tip-top shape, there needn't be any fears on that score. Just the same, there are bound to be a few more dropouts at this point, since the Army wants only the cream. As you can see, I made the grade, for my owner is striking a bargain. This phase strikes me as a bit sordid, but then men and dogs have different standards. And so it's settled, handshakes and all that. At last, I'm in the United States Army. There's paperwork, of course, but I'm not interested. That's for humans to worry about. And welcome to it. For me, there is a new collar. You might call it my uniform. Those collars, I might add, are very important to the program. There's one for training and one for duty. We learn quickly which is which. And we learn too that when no collar is worn, we are free to play, eat or sleep as we see fit. Nothing left to do now except job training. Nothing left to do now except join my new buddies. That's strange. I can hear them, but I don't see a soul. Oh, those boxes. Why we are cooped up in crates, I don't quite understand. Very difficult to get acquainted that way. And so it's off to school, in style at that. Some of the more unsophisticated thought might have to march all the way. And now, while we make this trip, suppose I turn you over to our narrator. He'll tell you what's in store for us. By the time the dog caravan has arrived at Lengres, the machinery for inducting the new arrivals has been set into operation. Instead of the regular kennel area, the trucks take the dogs to a special reception kennel. There they will have an opportunity to quiet down and adjust before embarking on the first steps toward becoming sentry guard dogs. All right, soldier, easy. There's a nervous recruit inside. The newcomers may have been house dogs or personal pets, but no matter which, they never have had drier, better ventilated, or generally more comfortable homes than these kennels provided by their new master, the United States Army. First steps in the new life will take Bendix and his buddies to the infirmary for routine processing. Included is a complete physical examination, one that is more thorough than the earlier checkup conducted during the sales. Bendix may not care for this, but an Army dog's acute hearing is essential to his work, and so the veterinarians are going to make sure about those ears. Any lesions or suspicious condition will receive immediate treatment. The new recruit will never be expected to carry a rifle. Yet care of his own particular weapons is of vital concern to the Army. The well-being of an animal is not infrequently reflected in the health of his teeth. Of utmost importance to the work for which he will be trained is the service dog's feet. As sentry guard, he will be covering many more miles daily than his civilian counterpart, the home pet or companion. The areas he will patrol may be hard top surface or stubble and stone covered ground. Initial examination looks for any cracks or injuries between the toes or any breaks in the protective padding of his paws. Callous and any unhealthy accretions must be paired off. This meticulous care and attention will continue throughout the years of his Army service. A check is also made of coat and skin for any suspicious condition. These, like the mouth, can give an indication of the animal's general health. And as any new enlistee in the Army knows, there come those inevitable shots. Inoculation against a variety of ailments will protect the dog's health. Inoculation will also ensure the school program against any disruption through epidemic or spread of infectious disease. And what is this? Why it's the quartermaster corps method of identification. Bendix expected the familiar dog tags. It sounds logical enough, but the Army has other ideas. It's to be a number tattooed on the skin. In any event, Bendix will never be in trouble with his commanding officer for having misplaced or lost his identification. Compensating for the indignities and any discomfort is a welcome show of affection. Care of the Army dog is every bit as important as the process of training him. The men being schooled as handlers are taught how to watch over their charges, safeguarding health and general condition. It's the Army, and so appearance and proper grooming receive the same attention as does the soldier's care of his own appearance. Soon the day comes when Bendix and his new buddies are ready to start active training. For men and dogs, it is an event. The handlers fall in, ready for the march to the kennel area. And why shouldn't one admit that within the soldier and the man, there's just a bit of the small boy who thrilled to the companionship of his first dog? In the circumstances, it might be rewarding to hear about this phase of the program from one who is directly involved. Perhaps our old friend Bendix again, if he'll oblige. Only too happy. Now, suppose we look in on Hunt's. You've observed him before. That's a way of getting himself in front of the cameras. Show-off, but a decent sort. Notice, please, the brief get acquainted period through the steel mesh. Just a safeguard against undue excitement and, let's say, unpleasant incident. And now, a little play and affection. Affection, you should understand, is part of the training system. It's used as the reward. Eventually it becomes an incentive. That choke collar is quite another thing. Unpleasant pressure in the recruit knows he has goofed or has failed to follow instructions. There is another collar, plain leather. It's worn when on active duty, but for class work it's always that unpleasant choke type. It takes some doing, but sooner or later even the cut-ups learn they can't fight it. The pressure and yank on the leash accompanied by spoken commands make basic training easy. Most of us, new words like come, down, and stay in German. Now we learn them again in English. When these have been mastered, we don't need the pull on the leash. Down. Soon we are learning more complex orders. How to stay down and, at the same time, obey the order to come. That's how we learn to crawl. Clever. There are drill commands, too, that must be mastered. But it's fun, especially when your classroom is the beautiful Bavarian countryside. After lessons well learned, there's the usual reward of affection and a chance to play in blow-off steam. The one in the black uniform is an Alsatian shepherd, actually a branch of the same family as the rest of us, although Alsatians like to think of themselves as something special. Notice, please, the use of play and affection in our program. Great incentives to good work. Repetition of commands and our responses to those commands is a major teaching aid. It keeps us on our toes after lessons have first been learned through choke collar and tugs on the leash. Repetition also helps to keep memory from slipping when we've gone on to new and more complex problems. The little test comes when orders are barked to, oops, I meant called out, by a stranger. We know, of course, that the stranger is an officer and he is out there to see how we have progressed in our work. Once upon a time, the idea was to train an army dog to react solely to one person, his handler, but that's all been changed. The idea of the one man dog has no place in military life. We learn to work with anyone who is assigned to us. There's another assist to getting an education I haven't mentioned yet, probably the most important. It's called patience. It's something the army insists upon. Sometimes one wonders who needs it most, the student handler or the student dog. But it does pay off and pretty soon one more lesson has been mastered. Once you've got the knack of coping with one obstacle, learning how to take the others is relatively simple. Someday I would like to see my handler take this one. Now, here's one. And not even a cat at the other end. This is an interesting device. At the risk of sounding disrespectful, I must observe that only man could dream up a gadget like this. But four. Just to make life a bit more complicated than it need be. On the other hand, I will admit that there are some projects, such as the simulated patrol operation, where the men face up to the same problems and manage quite as well as we do. But then I'm forgetting that they should. In this quarter master's school, they are students too. When the course has been completed, we'll all be going out to serve together. Uh-oh, that hunts again. A smart yank on the choke collar wouldn't do him any harm. Dog gone if I'm going to talk about him. I'm quitting. Just as well, too, if personalities can't be left out. But thank you, Bendix, just to say. And now, let's visit the infirmary where hunts will be taking his turn on sick calls. It may be a superficial injury, but conscientious care of army dogs is a first rule, and handlers take no chances. Usually, it means just one thing when a dog begs. But it's not to be table scraps for Uncle Sam's dog. There's as a scientifically arrived at diet and prepared under rigidly observed sanitary regulations, not to mention personal service that goes with it. If there are doubts about the patron's satisfaction, a visit to Hunts Kennel should end them. Army slang chow hound seems to take on real meaning here. The healthy animal, naturally alert and intelligent, quickly masters the elementary training steps. His participating in exercises that simulate the actual conditions he may one day face. The intruder will be cornered if necessary attacked. The concealed trespasser flushed out of hiding, training the animals to attack by command as the result of conditioning, and the original aggressiveness toward the stranger is constantly cultivated throughout the entire 17-week cooks. For the unwary and the uninitiated, it cannot be stressed strongly enough that, however gentle the dogs may appear with their handlers, they are nevertheless extremely dangerous animals. As an interesting demonstration of the Army sentry dog's capabilities, our friend Bendix goes through the entire obstacle course without guidance. After a first spoken command, the handler's only participation is limited to occasional shouts of encouragement from the sidelines. This is more than a mere stunt. It illustrates how through training, a whole complex of varied tasks may be linked in one operation. These all triggered by one initial command. Here is the learning process not too far removed from that of the human. As an added demonstration of intelligence plus adaptability, the dog Bendix, at command, climbs a ladder. Here is performance of a task that is not generally considered to be within a dog's natural capacities. These two demonstrations are graphic testimony to the effectiveness of the conditioning system used in the quartermaster core training program. With the completion of the 17-week program, men and sentry guard dogs have become smooth functioning teams. The men conscious of their responsibility through their charges. The animals bound to their handlers by their natural response to training plus affection. But the school at Lenggris is only the first step in the careers of these working teams. From the training center, they will now be sent to posts widely scattered throughout Western Europe. There they will take up the jobs for which they were trained. There's will be the task to guard against the trespasser, the saboteur against any who would tamper with our defenses of the free world's peace. Training center at Lenggris is but one of many now maintained by the United States Army quartermaster core on the continent here at home and even in the far east. Only recently plans were set into operation to transport some thousand trained German shepherds to the United States. Here to serve as sentry dogs and to be utilized in the training of additional thousands, it is safe to conclude that the army dog is very much with us. Today, however, he has become a specialist. With the college training behind him, man's best friend is taking on a share of the job protecting the defenses of our free world. Now this is Sergeant Stewart Queen, your host for the Big Picture. The Big Picture is an official report for the armed forces and the American people. Produced by the Army Pictorial Center, presented by the Department of the Army in cooperation with this station.