The legend of the Dog Soldiers Lives on

One of my great grand sons was over tonight and his grandfather had told him about my time with the Dog Men, so that's what got this started.

Much has been written and said but few are aware of the modern day participation of the Dog Soldiers in U.S. military operations.


The Legend

The Dog-Man (Dog Soldier) Society was organized after the organization of the other societies, by a young man without influence, but who was chosen by the great Prophet. One morning the young man went through the entire camp and to the center of the camp circle, announcing that he was about to form a society. No one was anxious to join him, so he was alone all that day. The other medicine-men had had no difficulty in establishing their societies, but this young man, when his turn came to organize, was ridiculed, for he was not a medicine-man, and had no influence to induce others to follow his leadership. At evening he was sad, and he sat in the midst of the whole camp. He prayed to the Great Prophet and the Great Medicine Man to assist him. At sunset he began to sing a sacred song. While he sang the people noticed that now and then the large and small dogs throughout the camp whined and howled and were restless. The people in their lodges fell asleep. The man sang from sunset to midnight; then he began to wail. The people were all sleeping in their lodges and did not hear him. Again he sang; then he walked out to the opening of the camp-circle, singing as he went. At the opening of the camp-circle he ceased singing and went out. All the dogs of the whole camp followed him, both male and female, some carrying in their mouths their puppies. Four times he sang before he reached his destination at daybreak. As the sun rose he and all the dogs arrived at a river bottom which was partly timbered and level. The man sat down by a tree that leaned toward the north.

Immediately the dogs ran from him and arranged themselves in the form of a semi-circle about him, like the shape of the camp-circle they had left; then they lay down to rest; as the dogs lay down, by some mysterious power, there sprang up over the man in the center of the circle a lodge. The lodge included the leaning tree by which the man sat; there were three other saplings, trimmed at the base with the boughs left at the top. The lodge was formed of the skins of the buffalo. As soon as the lodge appeared, all the dogs rushed towards it. As they entered the lodge they turned into human beings, dressed like members of the Dog-Men Society. The Dog Men began to sing, and the man listened very attentively and learned several songs from them, their ceremony, and their dancing forms. The camp circle and the center lodge had the appearance of a real camp circle for three long days. The Dog Men blessed the man and promised that he should be successful in all of his undertakings and that his people, his society, and his band would become the greatest of all if he carried out their instructions.”

digital.library.okstate.edu...

By the 1880s U.S. military command frequently stated for the record that the Dog Soldiers had been wiped out down to last man.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

From the U.S. military archives:

During the twentieth century, Dog Soldiers have served with the United States military in two World Wars and in the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf region.

The original Dog Soldiers of the past carry the distinction of being the most deadly military opponents ever faced by U.S. military forces.
Racking up a phenomenal 24.6 to 1 K/D ratio in combat. That record still stands today 150 years later.
As well, being the originators and innovators of many of the tactics used by Special Operations troops today.

Early in 1982 I spent 26 days with the Cheyenne attempting to learn the ways of the Dog Man.
There is much to be said about the mysteries of the Hotamitaneo.
Later on that year in Lebanon, on two different occasions, stray dogs played a major part in the positive outcome of engagements.






Buck

a reply to: flatbush71

Thank you for sharing your heritage. You open another world view for me .
Honor and respect to you and yours.

Enjoyed this post very much,welcome change of pace and wonderful story

a reply to: flatbush71


Weekend bump!

I found this interesting and wanted to give more people a chance to see it


Respectfully,
~meathead

I would the author of post to clarify the Lebanon and stray dogs?

I served in Beirut in 1982 we did have a number of stray dogs enter base. There were few marines in my unit who claimed part native Indian heritage BUT all would have been viewed as white men.

MY only partial knowledge of dog-soldiers was in misunderstandings Dog-men that was associated Bigfoot.

Noppie
www.angrydogpress.com

Although he was not Cheyenne, my uncle (by marriage) was a full blooded Chippewa that was a dog handler in Vietnam.
In those days, they euthanized the dogs when the handlers were done with their tour of duty. It broke his heart.