They Flew Anyway
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On Memorial Day we speak the names of those who did not come home. But there are others — animals who served in every major conflict in human history, who carried messages through gunfire, pulled supplies through mud, and detected dangers no human could — who have no names on any wall. This episode is for them too.
References & further reading
Cher Ami & carrier pigeons
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Cher Ami Fact Sheet. Comprehensive overview including the century-long debate over sex, DNA confirmation, and the Lost Battalion story.
- Smithsonian Institution — Cher Ami object record. Official record of Cher Ami's service, awards, and current display.
- Military.com — How a Wounded Pigeon Named Cher Ami Saved the Lost Battalion. Detailed account of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and Cher Ami's final flight.
- National Museum of the United States Army — Cher Ami biography.
- Cowan, Sam K. (1919) — Sergeant York and His People. Funk & Wagnalls. Contemporary account of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive including the Lost Battalion.
Horses in war
- Cooper, Jilly (1983) — Animals in War. Heinemann. Comprehensive account of animal service across both World Wars.
- De Waal, Edmund (2010) — The Hare with Amber Eyes. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Includes firsthand accounts of horses on the Western Front.
- Singleton, John (1993) — The British horse supply in World War I. Agricultural History Review 41(1).
- Smithsonian Magazine — The US Army Is Getting Rid of Most of Its Ceremonial Horse Units. Includes investigation findings on neglect at military horse facilities. 2025.
- U.S. Army — Army scales down Military Working Equid program. Official announcement of the July 2025 program sunset.
Dogs in war
- Frankel, Rebecca (2014) — War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love. Palgrave Macmillan. Definitive account of military working dogs across conflicts including Vietnam and Afghanistan.
- United States War Dogs Association — History, advocacy, and resources for military working dog welfare and handler reunification.
- Lemish, Michael G. (1996) — War Dogs: A History of Loyalty and Heroism. Brassey's. Covers both World Wars through Vietnam.
- Humane Society of the United States — Military Working Dogs. Overview of current policy and retirement advocacy.
Marine mammals in military service
- U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program — Official program overview. Covers dolphins and sea lions trained for mine detection and other operations.
- Ridgway, Sam H. (1990) — The central nervous system of the bottlenose dolphin. In The Bottlenose Dolphin, Academic Press. Background on dolphin cognition relevant to military use.
- Roitblat, H.L. et al. (1995) — Echolocation and mine detection by bottlenose dolphins. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
- AZA Connect — Coverage of marine mammal welfare and military program ethics.
History of Memorial Day
- History.com — Memorial Day History. Overview of the holiday's Civil War origins and evolution.
- Smithsonian American Women's History Museum — The origins of Memorial Day and Decoration Day.
- Piehler, G. Kurt (1995) — Remembering War the American Way. Smithsonian Institution Press. Scholarly history of American war commemoration traditions.
Animals in war — broader history
- Gardiner, Juliet (2006) — The Animals' War: Animals in Wartime from the First World War to the Present Day. Portrait Books. Comprehensive survey across species and conflicts.
- Imperial War Museum — Animals in the First World War. Covers horses, pigeons, dogs, and other species.
- Shaw, Anthony (2014) — Animals in the Great War. Shire Publications. Accessible overview of animal service in World War I.
- Animals and War Memorial — Documentation and commemoration of animals in military service.
Take action
- United States War Dogs Association — Support veteran handler and military dog reunification programs.
- American Wild Horse Campaign — Advocacy for wild horse protection and humane management alternatives.
- NOAA Fisheries — Marine Mammal Protection Act resources and reporting.
- animalinthemachine.com — Show notes and episode archive.
