Remember the Alamo

As America suffered the internal upheaval of the Vietnam War era, Carl Adams and thousands of other young men volunteered to serve their country in wartime. Trained as sentry dog handlers, many, together with their devoted German shepherd dogs, were assigned to guard American air bases against the continual threat of Vietcong attack. These heroic K9 teams did their jobs well: they share credit for saving more than 10,000 American lives during the war. Nearly all the dog handlers returned to the United States after their tours of duty. The dogs, despite their valorous service, were classified as "surplus equipment" at the war's end, and were destroyed outright or consigned to a doubtful fate when they were turned over to the Army of South Vietnam. Here is the story of K9, seen firsthand through the eyes of a nineteen-year-old who never chanted "Hell no -- we won't go!" Remember the Alamo has been selected as an information resource for a planned documentary on the modern military working dog. A high school student working on an assignment asked me, "Why do you think we lost the Vietnam War?" I replied: "Imagine you're on the football team. You're scheduled to play a team from another conference. Many of your fellow students don't want the game played, so they march in protest and refuse to participate. When you get to the other team's stadium, you find out the game will be played with two sets of rules -- one for your side and another for your opponents. They don't even wear uniforms, so it's impossible to tell them apart from their fans in the stands.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Carl Adams is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University. From 1965-68 he was a United States Air Force air policeman and sentry dog handler. After separation from the military, he became a trainer at the Police K9 School in Plymouth, Michigan, where he trained civilian and government law enforcement K9 teams. In 1977 he joined the Air Force Reserve, eventually attaining the rank of master sergeant. In 1984 the 301[superscript st] Tactical Fighter Wing chose M.Sgt. Adams as its Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. His many service awards and decorations include the Air Force Commendation Medal, a Presidential Unit Citation, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with V Device, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Leaf. Mr. Adams is a life member of the Vietnam Dog Handler Association. A regional manager for a Fortune 500 company, he lives in Illinois with his wife Linda