The story of a Vietnam military working dog until the US pulled out of Vietnam.
This article was written by a Vietnam US Army dog handler, Raymond “Pete” Peters.
BJ Rae simply edited it for this website.
In part one of the story, Raymond “Pete” Peters described
from Budda’s point of view Budda’s life
from the time two military working dog handlers picked him up
at his home up to the time of his first Vietnam mission.
Now, Pete describes Budda’s life
from the time after his first his first Vietnam mission
to the end of his career as a military working dog.
Budda’s Story
There was little rest for us at the kennels. Handlers worked dogs on a daily basis to maintain our sharpness and physical conditioning.
There was a 30 acre area adjacent to the kennel area that was all woods and a stream. This made an excellent training area to run our practice patrols. We got some deactivated VC mines and “potato masher” grenades from the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team. Our handlers either buried them in a pathway or rigged them with tripwires attached to a rat trap for us to detect.
Probably due to this continual training between missions, no scout teams from the 39th were injured by booby traps during my first year in Vietnam. We detected many, though.
My life became a whirlwind of missions.
Brownie (as I now referred to Sgt Brown) and I had become inseparable buddies. We each trusted each other completely. That bond was our means of survival. We made it through Operations Sioux City in Xom Cat, Attleboro in Minh Than, Waco around Bien Hoa, Cedar Falls in the Iron Triangle, Big Springs in war zone D, and Junction City in war zone C near Tay Ninh.
I felt honored in March of 1967 when Brownie and I were selected for a very special secret mission. Out of all the Scout Teams in Vietnam, we had been selected to go TDY with the 5th Special Forces Group and be attached to one of their A Teams. I liked to think we were chosen due to my skills and temperament, but I guess Brownie’s security clearance level may have helped a little. I never told anyone where we went or what we did. Hey, I couldn’t talk anyway!
After returning to our kennel at Bien Hoa, I got the shock of my life. Brownie would be going home in July when his Date Estimated Return Over Seas( DEROS) date was up. After all we had been through together the team was being broken up.
My handler for the past 15 months was now under direct orders to stay away. He could have no further contact with me. They said it was to prepare me to accept Brownie’s replacement. Since we had all come over as a unit at one time, all of the other dogs were in the same position. How could the military screw us dogs like that? Our tour of duty had changed into a life sentence.
My old “attitude problem” returned. From here on I would do my job, but I didn’t have to like it or be nice to anybody. It’s probably good that I couldn’t talk then. Article 15 for sure. But I knew that they had to feed and water me. And since we had no rank or pay that could be taken away, I really didn’t give a damn.
My next handler was an OK kind of guy, as were all of those that followed.
One, Rick Hovis, even gave up his platoon clerk job to become my handler! We all worked hard, but the personal chemistry just wasn’t the same. Brownie would be a part of me forever.
The summer and fall of 1967 were especially rough. The 173rd was moving north into II Corps to intercept the (North Vietnamese Army) NVA that was coming in from Laos and massing in the central highlands. I worked in Pleiku Province, sweeping the Ia Drang valley.
From there, we moved farther north into Kontum Province in the hills above Dak. To that we were in the middle of some of the most vicious fighting of the war. Many of my friends and their handlers became casualties there. I still had my attitude problem, and the hand to hand fighting had shown me just what I was really capable of doing to whoever I felt was an enemy.
The entire Brigade was now at An Khe. A break in action was what we all needed. I was just getting used to kennel life when the Tet Offensive began. The remainder of 1968 and 69 was split between patrolling near highway 19, the main artery into the western sector of the highlands. Then going east to the coastal plains at Bong Son.
Next we were back in our crates again. This time the brigade was moving to a place called LZ English, just north of Bong Son.
We all hated those crates. It seemed that each time we were in them and moved, our whole world sort of fell apart. Everything was always completely different when we got where we were going. Dogs prefer familiar places, faces, and routines. All the changes tired me, and my attitude got worse.
Long days on point left me tired that night and stiff the next morning. I was grumpy and the platoon all knew it. It was determined that it was time for me to retire. It was unofficial of course, but I was not assigned to another handler. Therefore I had no more missions.
Life was easy around the Kennel area. I had regular meals and spent much of the day sleeping in the shade. The platoon Sergeant, SFC Kelly, took a liking to me and would take me out for walks and some exercise. I only bit him once. After all, I still had an image to maintain.
I was a seasoned veteran and a survivor.
I felt I deserved the praise I got. When handler Don Bradley went up for the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s coveted “Sky Soldier of the month” award, he answered a question about which of the dogs was most famous. Without hesitation he answered “with such a long list of accomplishments, plus many confirmed enemy kills, that could only be Budda”. But by now I was a little overweight and turning slightly gray. It didn’t worry me though. Most of the handlers would be in similar shape by the time they retire.
Then one day in July of 1971 I noticed a different mood around the kennels. They put many of the other dogs into their crates and loaded them into a truck. I eagerly followed because I was tired of Camp English. Since most of the handlers had left we might even be going home. That would be great. We deserved a break after all we had done.
It was a short trip to the nearby Air Base. There were many dogs there from all over the country. There were Scouts, Trackers, and Sentry dogs all together here. I guess they really are sending us back home!
Maybe they will ship me to Brownie. I wonder if he thinks about me as often as I have thought of him. Does he remember all we went through together? So much excitement, I can hardly stand still.
In the Veterinary Clinic, I can’t understand why everyone is crying. Just give me my DEROS shots and get me on that plane. I’ll finally be getting out of here. I can hardly wait!
In all of my excitement I barely felt the needle. I was used to them anyway. It felt just like the tranquilizer shot that we got before we left on the plane ride over here back in July of ’66.
I feel a little sleepy all of a sudden. I think I’ll lie down. I’ll rest right here. It seems to be getting darker. Will Brownie remember me? I feel numb! I think I’ll rest right awhile and think of what it will be like to be home. I’m tired.
Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z
39th IPSD “Special Operations
For their services with a combined US Special Forces unit in March of 1967, The Special Operations Association in October 2002 honored Budda, 4A82, and his first handler Bob Brown, of the 39th IPSD. The association remembered Budda’s actions “In Memoriam”, and Bob became a life member during a formal presentation at their annual meeting in Las Vegas.
To this date Budda is the only Military Working Dog ever to have served in this capacity.
The Special Operations Association (SOA) is a 1700+ member fraternal organization of American and foreign participants who have documented proof of having served in special military operations in combat theaters, primarily during the Southeast Asian conflict. The group also includes World War ll and Korean Veterans as well as those from the more recent conflicts. Its limited membership only welcomed members of Free World forces who aided or took part in missions deep inside hostile territory in a combat capacity . US Army Special Forces personnel mainly composes the association. It also includes Air Commandos; Navy SEALs, Force Recon Marines and veterans of other elite military and civilian organizations, who were a part of Special Operations.
During the Vietnam War, U.S. political and military leaders confronted strategically important but elusive ground targets. Political and other considerations prevented the deployment of conventional ground units. Air power alone proved unable to eliminate the targets. In both cases, policymakers turned to special operations forces (SOF) to conduct reconnaissance operations to locate the hidden targets.
During the Vietnam conflict, SOF teams crossed the border into Laos to search for critical targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail that triple-canopy jungle and camouflage obscured from above. This network of footpaths, trails, and roads ultimately served as a supply line for North Vietnamese forces. It also served as a basing area used as a stage for attacks on South Vietnam. U.S. forces confronted formidable obstacles in their efforts to stem the flow of traffic along the trail.
NOTE – Robert Brown went on to retire from the Army. Presently residing in New Jersey with his civilian canines, he has become an accomplished artist.
Budda. (4A82) bravely served his country for the “human equivalent” of over 40 years. During his time in Vietnam he had eight handlers, all of whom survived to return home. While wounded five times, he had five confirmed enemy kills in close combat while he protected and saved the lives of uncountable numbers of American servicemen.
For all of this, the military leadership awarded him the death penalty.
R…”Pete” Peters
39th Infantry Platoon (Scout Dog)
173rd Airborne Brigade
March 1966 – July 1967
Let the encouraging words in these bobbiejrae posts help you
soar like an eagle above life’s storms.
Not getting enough sleep?
Go ahead and do “the impossible”!
Want some ideas for coping with PTSD?
Thank your canine friend for all the love he gives.
One comment on “IF I COULD ONLY TALK PART TWO, The Story of a Vietnam Military Working Dog by Raymond “Pete” Peters”
Melissa Peters Wood
August 23, 2017 at 8:37 amSo proud to see my Dad’s story shared on your site. Thank you for the inspirational articles & positive outreach to Veterans that I see on your site.