Military Officer - August 2006 - (Page 84)

encore Boxer Rebellion Just because dogs are animals doesn’t mean they have to be treated like them. In 1953, a U.S. soldier’s boxer gets the royal treatment with a first-class ride to Tokyo. O n July 2, 1953, my dog, a boxer named Bradley’s Cavalry Trooper, caused a strain in U.S.-Japanese relations. I was a young Army officer at the time assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Japan. Trooper refused to ride in his wooden crate in the baggage car while my wife, my mother-in-law, and I rode in connecting first-class compartments on the long train ride to Tokyo. Our fellow passengers could hear him barking, yowling, and crashing against his cage, so we moved him to the compartments. I bribed the coach porters every day with wads of yen to ensure that he could stay with us. As we neared Tokyo, the porter said the stationmaster would be on the platform to welcome my mother-in-law as the wife of a brigadier general. “You take boxer to baggage now,” the porter ordered. When the train stopped, my wife and mother-in-law disembarked and began walking royally down a red carpet toward the stationmaster. At the same time, the baggage door opened and Trooper, barking and slobbering, dragged me out of the car. Clearly he was anxious to rejoin firstclass status. I pulled on his choker collar as hard as I could, but he just charged harder, heading to the stationmaster with his own enthusiastic greeting. Relieved that there were no major repercussions, I wrote to some of my buddies back at 1st Cavalry to share the humorous story. But it appeared I had spoken too soon. A few days later, I received a letter, stating in part: 84 MILITARY OFFICER AUGUST 2006 “On the morning of July 2, 1953, you and your family were passengers on the first-class car from Sapporo to Hododate and were determined to take on this car a large animal (dog of boxer species — large in size and snarling). You refused to move this animal and created a serious incident. Most times we have no trouble with U.S. soldiers, but this time was an unfortunate situation. “Therefore, I regret to inform you that our main headquarters has directed that the fine be collected as required in Section 27, Part 8, lines 22 to 27, page 42, Code IOVII.” An itemized fine followed, calculated by Trooper’s weight and five-times normal freight charge, totaling 19,175 yen, or $50! My friend, Maj. Mary Guyette, told me she intercepted the letter before it reached 1st Cavalry and paid the fine. Mortified, I thanked her and sent a $50 money order. Several more weeks went by, then Guyette sent another note: “Please forgive us for the little joke — just couldn’t resist! Here is your money order for $50.” MO — Don Prescott served as a former Army ﬁrst lieutenant. He submitted this article in April 2005 and has since passed away. His wife, Mary, is delighted to see his article in print. ILLUSTRATION: ELWOOD SMITH

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Military Officer - August 2006 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapter Activities Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Changing of the Guard Four-Star Rating Long Term Care Kryptogram Pages of History Information Exchange MOAA Scholarship Donors Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - August 2006

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