Chips

Four men and a dog stood at attention in the bright sun that splashed the church courtyard in the Italian town of Pietra-vairano. Ack-ack crackled in the distance but the group remained motionless. The Division General was reading:

"Chips, U.S. Army dog--gallantry in action. After landing at Blue Beach Chips and his handler advanced 300 yd. inland under a flurry of flares and tracer bullets. . . . Suddenly a hidden machine gun began firing from the hut on troops on the beach. Unhesitatingly Chips wrenched the leash from his handler's hand, dashed into the hut, teeth bared, and vigorously attacked.

"After a few seconds the gun ceased firing, loud yelling could be heard and one of the crew came running from the hut with Chips tearing at his neck. . . . Chips's courageous act, singlehandedly [sic] eliminating a dangerous machine-gun nest . . . reflects the highest credit on himself and the military service."

The Division General stooped and gingerly pinned a Silver Star on Chips's collar. Chips, ex-pet of Gail and Nancy Wren of Pleasantville, N.Y., a mean-looking mongrel with the head of a German shepherd and the body of a husky, casually wagged his tail. But things might have been different. When General "Ike" Eisenhower visited the regiment, Chips bit the Commander-in-Chief's hand.

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