Sam, The Army Dog

Happy BirthdayU.S. Army!234th

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U.S. Army

This book belongs to:

U.S. Army’s 234th BirthdayJune 14, 1775

Written by Mary Ellen PrattArmy Child, Youth & School Services

Design & Illustrations by Angela A SchoffstallArmy Child, Youth & School Services

Artwork by JupiterImagesunlimited.com

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Foreword

The last time we celebrated the Army’s Birthday, we read a story about the Army’s history and what it’s like to be a part of a Family…the Army Family.

We had such a good time celebrating the Army’s Birthday last year, we thought we should do it again. And we thought we should continue the story of our Army Family – but – this time – from the viewpoint of “Sam – The Army Dog.”

We hope you enjoy this story. Happy 234th Birthday to our Army. Stay “Army Strong!!!”

Pete Geren George W. Casey, Jr.Secretary of the Army General, Chief of Staff - Army

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This is Sam, the dog. Sam lives on an Army post with his Family. Sam’s family has a Mom; a Dad; a girl, Susan; and a boy, Jack. Oh, and Abby the cat.

U.S. Army

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Dad is a Soldier in the United States Army. He fixes helicopters. Mom is a Civilian in the Army. She works in the Army School Age Services. There sure are a lot of different kinds of jobs in the Army!

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Mom and Dad’s jobs got Sam thinking. He saw how every day, Dad is proud to put on his uniform and go to work protecting our country. He saw that Mom is proud to serve her country by taking care of Soldiers’ and Civilians’ children. Susan wants to be a Soldier, just like her Dad and Jack wants to work with children, just like his Mom.

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I want to be an Army Dog!

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Sam thought, “All I do all day is bark and chase birds. Hm, I wonder if there’s a place in the Army for me to be “all the Dog I can be”. I want to be an Army Dog and help people.”

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On Monday, Sam had a dream. He dreamed he was a big, huge Labrador Retriever who joined the National Guard. His fur was black and he had a powerful nose. In his dream, there was a BIG snow storm and Sam helped the National Guard “sniff out” people who were lost. He knew that rescuing people was an important Army job, and in his dream, he felt like a hero.

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On Tuesday, Sam barked and chased the birds. He tried to chase Abby, but she was too busy looking for mice. She didn’t have time to play with Sam.

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On Wednesday, Sam had a dream. He dreamed he was a big, huge Dalmatian Army Civilian Fire Fighter Dog. His fur was white and he was covered in black spots. He sat right next to the firefighters on the fire truck. He helped save people from fires. He knew that putting out fires was an important Army job, and in his dream, he felt like a hero.

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On Thursday, Sam didn’t bark as much or chase many birds. He told the neighborhood children, he knew in his heart he had to find a way to be an Army Dog. He knew it was something he was supposed to do.

On Friday, Sam had a dream. He dreamed he was a big, huge German Shepherd in the Military Police K- 9 Corps.

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He knew that guarding the post was an important Army job, and in his dream, he felt like a hero.

His fur was black and brown. He helped the MPs keep the Families who lived on the Army post safe.

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On Saturday, Sam was very quiet. He didn’t chase a single bird. He didn’t even try to chase Abby. Sam thought, “I’m not a big, huge dog. I am not a Labrador Retriever. I am not a Dalmatian. I am not a German Shepherd. I’m just a plain old medium-sized beige dog.

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I’m not special. I’ll never be an Army Dog. The Army won’t want me.” Sam was very sad.

Happy BirthdayU.S. Army!234th

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U.S. Army Hospital

On Sunday, June 14th, Mom said she had a surprise. She said, “Today is the Army’s birthday and we are going to the post hospital to celebrate with the Soldiers who are patients. We are going to a Birthday Party!”

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When they got to the hospital, Sam saw the great, big Army birthday cake. There were so many candles, he knew this was going to be something special.

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Susan put a big bow around Sam’s neck. It said, “Happy Birthday, Army!” He felt so handsome! Jack gave Sam a basket full of birthday treats to carry to the patients. Sam had never had such an important job before!

Happy Birthday Army!

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All day Sam went from room to room wagging his tail and giving treats to The Soldiers and their Families.

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Wherever he went, people smiled and gave him lots of hugs and shouted, “Happy Birthday, Army!”

Happy BirthdayU.S. Army!234th

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The Soldiers said Sam made them feel better! Sam was happy! His Family promised the Soldiers that Sam would be back again.

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HappyBirthday Army!

Happy Birthday

U.S. Army!

234th

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And then Sam realized! The Army wanted him! He was finally an Army Dog! He didn’t have to be a big, huge fancy dog. He could just be himself and serve his country.

When Sam went to sleep that night, he didn’t dream about being a hero. He dreamed about how proud he was to serve REAL heroes – the Soldiers who keep our country free. Sam knew, in his heart, he had truly become a member of the Army Family. He knew that together, they were ARMY STRONG!

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U.S. Army Hospital

Happy BirthdayU.S. Army!234th

Happy

Happy Birthday

U.S. Army!

234th

HappyBirthday Army!

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Happy Birthday

U.S. Army!

Sam, The Army Dog

234th