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heroic cat, only cat to be awarded the Dickin Medal
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Chris
Posted 10/1/2014 06:54 (#4102471)
Subject: heroic cat, only cat to be awarded the Dickin Medal



East central Iowa

http://priceonomics.com/the-most-decorated-cat-in-military-history/ 

Interesting story about animals in the military but you have to read a ways to get to the story of Simon, but it's worth it if you like animals and cats in particular.


"The Dickin Medal, the UK-issued equivalent for our furry friends, is the highest military honor an animal can receive, and has only been awarded 65 times."

" In the medal’s first six years (1943-1949), an unlikely fowl reigned supreme: 32 of 54 medals -- nearly 60% -- were bestowed on pigeons. With a bit of context, this isn’t surprising. 

Over the course of both world wars, nearly 800,000 pigeons were used to transmit messages -- sometimes flying up to 600 miles to complete the task. Similarly, they were stocked in nearly every British aircraft; if the plane was hit, the birds would be released with location information, and would know exactly where to fly to ensure a rescue."

" Despite his injuries, Simon quickly got to business. His first night back, he had two confirmed kills, and within a few days’ time, he’d succeeded in clearing the deck of critters. But one foe remained: A gargantuan rat the crew had nicknamed “Mao Tse-tung.” For weeks, the scoundrel had avoided traps and gnawed his way through sealed food. Simon would have none of it. When the cat finally met his nemesis in the storeroom, he pounced, killed it, and proudly dropped it by the mens' boots. From then on, the crew hailed him as “Able Seacat Simon” -- the first (and so far, only) military title ever given to a feline."



Edited by Chris 10/1/2014 10:11
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