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Donald C. Bonnell January 29, 1944 Chanute Field
Courtesy of Donald C. Bonnell

by Chad Gilley
Online Editor
November 9, 2000

We met Donald Bonnell at the Maine Veterans Home where he shared his story "DOG" with us. Bonnell was working as an electrician at the Boston Navy Shipyard when at age 23 he joined the U.S. Army Air Force. He was sent to the Pacific, where he repaired the electrical systems on B-24 bombers damaged in combat.

Bonnell lived in hastily constructed island air bases, hopping from island to island as soon as they were taken from the Japanese, extending the range of American bombers closer and closer to the Japanese mainland. Sometimes his unit would arrive even before the runway was finished.

The jungle was full of Japanese soldiers, starving, stealing what food they could and sniping at American soldiers from locations hidden in trees. "I was taking a shower, and reached over for something, and when I reached over a bullet went by just about four inches from me. He had me in his sights and when I moved, he moved. You never saw a kid run so fast in all your life."

He was on Okinawa when the Japanese finally surrendered. " I have pictures of the Japanese planes coming in to surrender, they had two American planes beside them so they wouldn't get shot down." These pictures from the surrender as well as his recollections are a valuable and fascinating historical record.

Dog

by Donald C. Bonnell

They were a group of young men, in fact many were hardly more than boys - but boys forced to become men at such an early age by the brutality of war.

They came from all over the United States - from cities, towns, farms, ranches, from rich homes and poor homes. They left schools, jobs, families and were now together on a small island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. There they were fighting for their country and fighting for their very lives. Usually they were tired, lonely and frightened. There was little to brighten their lives. Food was called K Rations, tins of canned food. A good cooked meal of fresh ingredients was only something to be dreamed about.

So you can understand that when a small dog wandered into their camp he caused an excited stir among the young men. This dog, like them, was tired, lonely and frightened. He had been abused, beaten, kicked and starved. Even though these young men were surrounded by poor and dangerous conditions, the plight of this dog moved them to compassion. They opened their hearts. They fed him from their own rations. They showered their love on him. When first seen, one of the men called, “Here dog.” And so he was named. Nothing fancy, just DOG.

Electrical Crew 867th Bomb Squadron, 494th Bomb Group taken on Anguar 1945 Courtesy of Donald C. Bonnell (Back Row Right Side)

DOG flourished under their care and became their mascot. Soon, he became more than a mascot. He was their watchdog and then became their hero- for DOG had an uncanny way of sensing danger. If an enemy was around DOG was often the first to be aware and would sound and alarm. More than one soldier owed his life to DOG.

These men kept DOG with them and when the war finally ended they decided to try to take DOG to the United States. He was kept hidden on their ship going home. One of the men was returning to his ranch and all voted that this would be a fitting place for DOG to live. And so DOG, a true hero, lived the rest of his life running free and well cared for on a Ranch somewhere in the United States of America.

This is a true episode from the war experiences of Donald C. Bonnell.

The Okinawa Sky August 10, 1945, The night the Japanese surrendered. The streaks in the sky are guns shot off in celebration. "The Navy called a halt to it. It was getting too much" Courtesy of Donald C. Bonnell

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