- Sculptor's Drawing
Sergeant Stubby had strong ties to Connecticut. Both he and his inseparable companion Cpl. J. Robert Conroy were from Connecticut. Robert Conroy (with Stubby always nearby) trained with the 102nd Regiment of the 26th Yankee Division on the Yale campus during the spring and summer of 1917. That fall, the regiment headed to France, among the first American forces to reach France after the U.S. entry into WWI. The valiant courage, bravery, and selflessness of those who served and sacrificed then and in all conflicts since that time will never be forgotten.
Stubby helped save soldiers’ lives and offered them comfort in the trenches and on 17 battlefields, and in the American Red Cross field hospitals. He was America’s first (unofficial) service dog. Today, the role of dogs serving our military men and women is firmly established, from dogs trained to aid in battle zones to dogs trained to aid and comfort veterans that have returned to civilian life. And now, a bronze statue of Stubby will become a part of the Memorial, paying tribute to forever honor and remember the unselfish devotion, patriotism, heroism, service and sacrifice of our Connecticut men and women.