The only thing I knew about Kaiser was he’d been donated to the K-9 Corps by a young draftee as he left for basic training. Standing sentry duty with the long-haired German Shepherd Dog was often cold and lonely, but never boring. Too much was at stake for boredom. Already this month, we’d repulsed three attempts by the Germans to mine the bridge. Each time, Kaiser had alerted on unknown stimuli. Perhaps the scent of schnitzel or the other odd foods in the German’s field rations.

Kaiser’s sudden growls, barking and straining at the line of soldiers returning to the front past our position was a total surprise. I wasn’t ready for the mighty lunge that jerked the leash from my hands and me off my feet. As soon as I picked myself up, I was forced to run to the other end of the bridge; Kaiser had a man down and was straddling him!

Fearing the worst, as soon as I approached, I hauled Kaiser off this G.I. only to make a shocking discovery.