Vietnam War Dog Memorial - Elizabethtown, KY - Dog Statues on Waymarking.com

This bronze sculpture is located in Elizabethtown Nature Park near the Vietnam War wall replica. It memorializes the military dogs and their handlers who served in the Vietnam War. It was dedicated on Saturday, August 15, 2020.

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In Honor & Memory of
Vietnam War Dogs
Forever on Watch
Reference: Pictured plaque

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"Of the more than 58,000 names of service members killed in action on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, 267 of them were military dog handlers, who with their dogs, provided an invaluable service to the war effort.

To honor dog handlers and their partners, a statue was dedicated Saturday at Elizabethtown Nature Park, where the bronze handler and dog now keep watch over the replica Vietnam Wall Memorial Wall.

Vietnam veteran and member of the Veterans Tribute Group Greg Lowe said roughly 4,000 dogs were deployed to Vietnam, where some 350 were killed in action.

"They were scouts, trackers, sentry and police patrol dogs who were the greatest battle buddies their handlers could have," he said, addressing the crowd of people in attendance.

"Today, we are here to dedicate this monument before you to those four-footed soldiers know as military working dogs."

A tracker dog handler himself, Vietnam veteran Denzil Lile said the dedication was very near and dear to his heart.

"Never did I ever believe there would be something like this come up," he said. Lile then shared a little history on war dogs.

"A dog will remain loyal to his handler until the end as long as the handler remembers the three Ps: patience, praise, and persistence," he said.

Lowe said The Veterans Tribute Group spearheaded the wall project and the recent addition of the dog and handler statue, but it would not have been possible without generosity and support of citizens and businesses in Elizabethtown and Hardin County. He noted concrete for the front sidewalk, lights, rebar for the footers, landscaping, site preparation and some 800 meals for the workers were all donated items.

Following one of the numerous ceremonies that have been held at the wall since its completion in 2018, Lowe said a resident from Elizabethtown approached Vietnam veteran Carey "C.T." Christie of the tribute group and said they wanted to contribute to what the group was doing.

"C.T. met with him a few days later and this unsung hero listened to the plans for the dog and handler monument. He liked what he heard and immediately wrote three checks for the back sidewalk, the dog and handler statue and the dedication plaque," he said.

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory, who was in attendance at Saturday's dedication, said there are not enough words to say about the military and retired military presence in the area.

"One of the things I talked about a lot when I ran for mayor was how great our community was because of Camp Knox, which turned into Fort Knox, which brought people from all over the country, great people that served in the armed forces and made this place their home ... and all they've done is contribute constantly to our community and this is a great example of it," he said, thanking everyone who has been involved with the wall.

Gregory also recognized former Mayor Edna Berger. She said it was one of the "greatest honors" of her life to be able to work with the veterans on the project while in office."

Reference: The News Enterprise (Elizabethtown, Kentucky), Sun, 16 Aug 2020, Local Section, "New Statue on Watch at Replica Wall".

Breed: Unknown Date Built: 15 Aug 2020

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