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K-9 Korea: The Untold Story of America's War Dogs in the Korean War
The men of the 8125th Sentry Dog Detachment had no idea what they would find when their ship docked at Incheon, Korea. The dogs in the unit seemed even more uncertain than the men: they could smell the terror in the place. Almost immediately, these soldiers came to rely on each other—man and dog alike—for safety, courage, and companionship.
Yet in the end, the men of the 8125th could have never imagined the terrible and final sacrifice their canine companions would be forced to make.
K-9 Korea is the heartrending story of American war dogs—the fearless, loyal, forgotten heroes of the Korean War.
Yet in the end, the men of the 8125th could have never imagined the terrible and final sacrifice their canine companions would be forced to make.
K-9 Korea is the heartrending story of American war dogs—the fearless, loyal, forgotten heroes of the Korean War.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published April 17, 2017
6 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 8, 2023
When I play at my “organ church,” the organ console is up in the balcony. Most Sunday mornings I am up there along with the guy running the sound board, the guy or lady running the internet feed and screen slides, and maybe one or two others. One who is always there is Ed. He is almost 90 years old and has been widowed for years, yet he climbs the stairs to sit in the balcony each Sunday. He is just a quiet, humble man, but occasionally we’ll talk briefly before the service. During one of these times I learned that he had served in the Army in Korea, after the Korean War. He had worked with dogs, he said. I hadn’t known that was even a thing, but I did a little reading on it to learn more. I found a book covering the topic, "K-9 Korea," so I checked it out.
The author, a military veteran, learned about a reunion of the 8125th Sentry Dog Detachment, which she attended. This motivated her to cover the stories of several men in the group in this book.
We start with a bit of history: dogs have been unofficially used in wars for years, although their official use began in 1942. At first, people donated pet dogs for military use. As you might imagine, this had mixed success. Soon, the military began choosing breeds that would work well for military service (mostly German Shepherds), and trained them. After the Korean War ended, the Army stationed soldiers with their dogs there to patrol.
There were two types of dogs, sentries and scouts. Scouts were trained to sniff out threats such as booby traps. Sentries, which were the dogs covered in this book, were trained to patrol and defend military hardware. The author mentions that the men chosen as dog handlers had in common a rural background and upbringing. Most were familiar with dogs, having had them on the farms where they grew up.
After the Korean war, the country was in bad shape. Many of the people were starving, and frequently their desperation led them to try robbing military posts of things they could use. This was an instance of where military dogs could be helpful. A scene is described where a handler instructed his dog to attack a man who would not stop advancing when told to. The dog attacked, and the man eventually died. Many of the soldiers felt bad for the Korean people, who were often trying to steal the soldiers’ and dogs’ leftover food to keep from starving. Military supervisors instructed the soldiers to cover the food with Ex-Lax and even feces to stop the theft, but even with this, it continued.
After I read the book, I brought it to church and loaned it to Ed for the week. He really enjoyed it and said it brought back so many memories for him. His dog had been called Prince, and when Ed returned to the US Prince remained behind, working in a warehouse. He was 12 years old. Ed also remembered wearing an “aggression suit” when training his dog in attack skills. He and Prince helped guard a building where missiles were stored.
This book was an interesting bit of history for me, and I was happy to have been able to share it with Ed and to have learned more about his stories with the dogs as well.
The author, a military veteran, learned about a reunion of the 8125th Sentry Dog Detachment, which she attended. This motivated her to cover the stories of several men in the group in this book.
We start with a bit of history: dogs have been unofficially used in wars for years, although their official use began in 1942. At first, people donated pet dogs for military use. As you might imagine, this had mixed success. Soon, the military began choosing breeds that would work well for military service (mostly German Shepherds), and trained them. After the Korean War ended, the Army stationed soldiers with their dogs there to patrol.
There were two types of dogs, sentries and scouts. Scouts were trained to sniff out threats such as booby traps. Sentries, which were the dogs covered in this book, were trained to patrol and defend military hardware. The author mentions that the men chosen as dog handlers had in common a rural background and upbringing. Most were familiar with dogs, having had them on the farms where they grew up.
After the Korean war, the country was in bad shape. Many of the people were starving, and frequently their desperation led them to try robbing military posts of things they could use. This was an instance of where military dogs could be helpful. A scene is described where a handler instructed his dog to attack a man who would not stop advancing when told to. The dog attacked, and the man eventually died. Many of the soldiers felt bad for the Korean people, who were often trying to steal the soldiers’ and dogs’ leftover food to keep from starving. Military supervisors instructed the soldiers to cover the food with Ex-Lax and even feces to stop the theft, but even with this, it continued.
After I read the book, I brought it to church and loaned it to Ed for the week. He really enjoyed it and said it brought back so many memories for him. His dog had been called Prince, and when Ed returned to the US Prince remained behind, working in a warehouse. He was 12 years old. Ed also remembered wearing an “aggression suit” when training his dog in attack skills. He and Prince helped guard a building where missiles were stored.
This book was an interesting bit of history for me, and I was happy to have been able to share it with Ed and to have learned more about his stories with the dogs as well.
February 28, 2022
The book was ok.
I appreciate the service of all in our armed forces, both current and in the past. Whether they see action or not, I appreciate them. I am especially interested in all who serve with a 4 legged comrade. As I have read books from the other times of war and the use of dogs in those conflicts, I was looking forward to hear about their use in the Korean war. Unfortunately, this book is about people and dogs who were serving in Korea after the armistice. The dogs were used for scout or sentry duty to protect against Koreans compelled to thievery to help survive starvation. So maybe only a slight breeze that may be considered action. Also very little information on training, which would have been of interest to me. Even references to the cold were too brief to help you feel any chill.
There were a couple of paragraphs of bio information before going into service and then enough about the handles that was good. Probably a good reference for the ones involved. It is nice that the good men and dogs who served in that capacity are immortalized in print, albeit one probably that won't be widely read. Every person is important and has a story, and the handlers were lucky they didn't have to live through the horrific times in the thick of a war, but it doesn't make for an exciting book compared to others of it's kind.
I appreciate the service of all in our armed forces, both current and in the past. Whether they see action or not, I appreciate them. I am especially interested in all who serve with a 4 legged comrade. As I have read books from the other times of war and the use of dogs in those conflicts, I was looking forward to hear about their use in the Korean war. Unfortunately, this book is about people and dogs who were serving in Korea after the armistice. The dogs were used for scout or sentry duty to protect against Koreans compelled to thievery to help survive starvation. So maybe only a slight breeze that may be considered action. Also very little information on training, which would have been of interest to me. Even references to the cold were too brief to help you feel any chill.
There were a couple of paragraphs of bio information before going into service and then enough about the handles that was good. Probably a good reference for the ones involved. It is nice that the good men and dogs who served in that capacity are immortalized in print, albeit one probably that won't be widely read. Every person is important and has a story, and the handlers were lucky they didn't have to live through the horrific times in the thick of a war, but it doesn't make for an exciting book compared to others of it's kind.
December 16, 2017
It’s a tale of courage, steadfast loyalty, and love amongst an unsung band of brothers downrange in the gripping historical account of the United States Army’s K-9 Unit in “K-9 Korea: The Untold Story of America’s War Dogs in the Korean War.” Former U.S. Air Force veteran J. Rachel Reed embarks on a crusade to bring the stories of honor, hardship and loss of the surviving members of the U.S. Army’s 8152nd Scout Dog Detachment to life in this engaging read chronicling man and dog’s experiences at the end of a leash in combat.
As told by the men who were there, they reminisce about their time in country during the 1950’s following the close of World War II and the incredible success of Military Working Dogs. Now, a new form of warfare looms on the horizon calling brave men and valiant dogs to answer the call of duty. With thousands signing up for the draft once again, so too are hundreds of patriotic dog breeders and private citizens who donate their loving house pets and at times uncooperative dogs to the war effort. Aspiring dogs of war and their motley handlers endure basic training at the Army’s Camp Carson, Colorado and Fort Ord, California where they are trained in the arts of sentry duty, scout dog tracking and aggression as well as detecting explosives. Ironically, once in Korea, the majority of the duties assigned to the K-9 Unit was guarding the perimeter of military installations, going out on patrols late at night and conducting demonstrations for the Republic of Korea Army (ROK) and civilian population to showcase the invaluable capabilities of their stalwart canine brothers-in-arms.
Sadly, not all of America’s canine patriots would return home to their families or with their beloved handlers. As a result of unfortunate circumstances downrange and the relentless bureaucracies of the U.S. military which categorized war dogs as surplus equipment, many of the 8152nd dog handlers would return home alone; leaving their canine companions to an uncertain fate a world away in Korea.
Author J. Rachel Reed does an exemplary job chronicling the exploits of the 8152nd Scout Dog Detachment as well as the tender light-hearted moments on the FOB and outside the wire. This book should be a movie! If you liked William Putney’s “Always Faithful,” then “K-9 Korea” is a must-have work of literature for dog lovers, Military Working Dog handlers, and military historians alike.
As told by the men who were there, they reminisce about their time in country during the 1950’s following the close of World War II and the incredible success of Military Working Dogs. Now, a new form of warfare looms on the horizon calling brave men and valiant dogs to answer the call of duty. With thousands signing up for the draft once again, so too are hundreds of patriotic dog breeders and private citizens who donate their loving house pets and at times uncooperative dogs to the war effort. Aspiring dogs of war and their motley handlers endure basic training at the Army’s Camp Carson, Colorado and Fort Ord, California where they are trained in the arts of sentry duty, scout dog tracking and aggression as well as detecting explosives. Ironically, once in Korea, the majority of the duties assigned to the K-9 Unit was guarding the perimeter of military installations, going out on patrols late at night and conducting demonstrations for the Republic of Korea Army (ROK) and civilian population to showcase the invaluable capabilities of their stalwart canine brothers-in-arms.
Sadly, not all of America’s canine patriots would return home to their families or with their beloved handlers. As a result of unfortunate circumstances downrange and the relentless bureaucracies of the U.S. military which categorized war dogs as surplus equipment, many of the 8152nd dog handlers would return home alone; leaving their canine companions to an uncertain fate a world away in Korea.
Author J. Rachel Reed does an exemplary job chronicling the exploits of the 8152nd Scout Dog Detachment as well as the tender light-hearted moments on the FOB and outside the wire. This book should be a movie! If you liked William Putney’s “Always Faithful,” then “K-9 Korea” is a must-have work of literature for dog lovers, Military Working Dog handlers, and military historians alike.
February 14, 2022
A book easily worthy of a 5 star rating. Easy to read and analyzes the herorics our 4-legged friends had in the Korean, Vietnam, and Afganistan Wars as well as 9-11 and current day police work. The author leaves no doubt in the readers mind of a mutual love between soldier and dog each of which without doubt would lay down their life for each and one another.
The book basically depicts the training, hardships, trust during the Korean War from beginning to end and after "rotation" which the separation of soldier and dog and the effect that it had on each other.
The role of government on the matter.
A well written and rounded book, critical and/or otherwise depending on the readers perspective of whether the end justified the matter. Again, a worthy read.
The book basically depicts the training, hardships, trust during the Korean War from beginning to end and after "rotation" which the separation of soldier and dog and the effect that it had on each other.
The role of government on the matter.
A well written and rounded book, critical and/or otherwise depending on the readers perspective of whether the end justified the matter. Again, a worthy read.
January 27, 2018
For decades the US military considered military working dogs as "surplus equipment" that could be kept, dumped or destroyed at their convenience. This book personalizes the creation of the MWD program after World War II and brings you right in with the first units in Korea. You're right there from the moment the men are shipped out to the anxious moments when they first meet their dogs...and to the bitter endings. An absolutely amazing, emotional and addictive read for anyone who is interested in this part of military history or even if you just love dogs.
November 22, 2019
K-9 Korea is a book that takes place in Incheon, Korea. It's about a ship that docked there. The dogs and soldiers were terrified and soon came to become dependent on each other. At the end, an ultimate sacrifice is made. I recommend this book to people who enjoy reading books about wars and dogs. The theme of the book is friendship and bravery.
January 27, 2018
A very emotional history of the early days of war dogs. A fascinating read and very informative.
January 7, 2022
Extremely powerful and well written.
September 15, 2020
This book provides insight to the development of MWDs from the beginning (8125th Sentry Dog Detachment in Korea 1954-1955) to the present. A glimpse into the lives of the dog-handler bond is powerful. My heart breaks for them.
May 28, 2017
This is absolutely NOT the type of book I would choose to read, but one of the men profiled in the book is a co-worker so that was the draw. The story if the 8125th unit - military dogs and their handlers serving in Korea - is interesting history, but the author's style is a little overblown, a little too enamored of the miltary, and a little too much daddy-hero worship. But I learned things I didn't know before, and gained more respect for my coworker.
July 8, 2023
This book is the heartbreaking true story of the men and their K-9 companions living in uncertain times near the end of the Korean War. The author took great measure to accurately tell the stories of these brave men and their K-9 companions.
I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical nonfiction and if you love dogs. Well done J Rachel Reed. Thank you for telling the story of these hero's.
I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical nonfiction and if you love dogs. Well done J Rachel Reed. Thank you for telling the story of these hero's.
June 12, 2018
This was such a beautiful story! I loved reading about the men and their dogs. It was a little sad, but very touching. I think every dog lover should read this book!
June 12, 2019
Wasn't able to complete this. I'm sure the rest is great though.
December 17, 2025
Author was able to put multiple stories of these soldiers and the MWDs into this short book in an interesting format that made it enjoyable and easy to read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews