Grove City native Ed Reeves always wanted a German shepherd ever since he was a kid. During his youth, he lived down the street from a police officer who was training Grove City’s very first police dogs, which happened to be shepherds. Whenever the officer was away or needed help with his pups, Reeves was there to feed, walk or even assist with training routines. Little did he know that one day he’d be working with his very own German shepherd, and it would change his life.
Jeffery S. Hall Photography
Reeves was drafted into the Army in 1969, where he then volunteered for dog training school. Though he didn’t know much about the program, Reeves dove headfirst into the position of a handler. He picked up a dog in Georgia named Prince, and everything clicked.
Reeves and Prince worked together for five months, training as an early silent warning team – they were working toward protecting their team from ambushes, tripwires and mines. The training was tough and involved a lot of learning on both ends.
“It’s repetition. We’d set up trails with booby traps and we’d walk through the trails and he’d alert to it,” Reeves says. “I had to learn how to read him; the way his actions worked, what his nose and ears moving meant – that was the hardest part.”
The two built a strong bond during that time, depending on each other through hard days out in the field.
“I would carry his food and water, and he would keep me safe,” Reeves says. “I developed a strong relationship with him.”
Prince even saved his life at one point; on a particular mission when they were scoping out a trail. The two were leading a group and a small tree had fallen over the path. Prince went around it rather than over it. When Reeves called him back and tried to get him to go over the tree, the canine simply went around again. Not quite understanding, Reeves began to step over the log when Prince came up under him and put his nose to the ground, alerting there was something there. That’s when the mine was discovered.
When Reeves’ work in Vietnam ended, he was officially allowed to return home. However, Prince was to stay and continue working with a new handler.
In Reeves’ novel, My Search for My Vietnam Scout Dog Prince, he recounts the last few moments he had to say goodbye to his friend:
“I cooked up two steaks, put them on a plate, cut them into little pieces, and went to Prince’s dog house. We sat on the ground and ate the steaks piece by piece. I wasn’t supposed to have contact with Prince because he had a new handler, but I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity.”
Over 4,000 dogs served in Vietnam and only 200 returned home alive. Each dog was essential to the operation and trained for different life-saving purposes. It’s reported that the trained canines saved approximately 10,000 lives during the war, solidifying the importance of Prince’s job.
Reeves will never forget the work he did with his canine partner. That’s why he’s helping with the Vietnam War Dog Memorial, set to go in Motts Military Museum. The official dedication is on Sept. 28, and the monument will feature a large granite wall with 4,235 dogs’ names and tag numbers; as well as the names of the 300 handlers who lost their lives in Vietnam.
As for Prince? Thirty-six years later, Reeves looked him up and found out that he was one of the surviving hero dogs who got to return home.
Military Working Dogs Honored with Official Stamps
The U.S. Postal Service officially announced a new line of stamps to be released to the public in 2019. The collection was created to honor the work of military dogs and features four different breeds, all of which commonly serve in the armed forces.
On these stamps you’ll find the German shepherd, the Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinos and Dutch shepherd. Hopefully, these will serve as a reminder of the hard work canines have contributed to U.S. efforts and the 2,300 that still serve in the armed forces today.
Stamps were released Aug. 1 at a celebratory ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska.
Mallory Arnold is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
