Select Board Approves War Dog Memorial

The Seekonk Select Board gave their approval to a War Dog Memorial at the September 2 meeting.

The idea for the memorial was presented by Armond Perreault, a Vietnam veteran, and Kevin Kugel, the chair of the Seekonk Veterans Council.

“We voted to endorse it,” Kugel noted.

Perreault said the memorial would not cost the town any money. Donations have already been collected, as well as materials.

The next step for Perreault is to obtain the approval of the Seekonk Library Board of Trustees. The War Dog Memorial will be placed next to the Veterans Memorial Park, which is on land controlled by the library.

“Approximately 4000 (service dogs) went to Vietnam and maybe 200 of them came back (to the United States),” Perreault explained. “Not because they were killed over there, but because they were viewed as equipment.They were euthanized or given to the South Vietnamese.”

Perreault wants to recognize the service of the dogs, who provided companionship and support to the soldiers in the Vietnam War, as well as in other conflicts.

According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website, “Canines detected hidden tunnels, tripwires, snipers, and ambushes, saving an estimated 10,000 American lives. They were so effective that they became special targets for the enemy, who began attacking kennels and offering bounties for the shoulder patch of a dog handler or the tattooed ear of a service dog.”