Cher Ami
Cher Ami was a remarkable homing pigeon recognized for her role in saving the lives of 193 American soldiers during World War I. On October 4, 1918, in the midst of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Major Charles White Whittlesey and his unit, known as the "Lost Battalion," found themselves trapped and under heavy fire in France's Argonne forest. With traditional communication methods failing, Whittlesey resorted to using carrier pigeons, having already lost two prior birds sent with messages. Cher Ami, the third pigeon, managed to deliver a critical message despite suffering severe injuries, including the loss of part of her leg and blindness in one eye. Her successful flight of 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the American command ultimately led to the rescue of Whittlesey’s unit. For her bravery, Cher Ami was awarded the French Croix de Guerre and became a symbol of heroism. She passed away from her injuries in 1919 and is now preserved at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where her legacy continues to be celebrated. Cher Ami's story reflects the significant contributions of animals in wartime communication and the resilience shown in dire circumstances.
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Cher Ami
Cher Ami was the name of a homing pigeon credited with delivering a message that enabled the US Army to save the lives of 193 servicemen during World War I (1914–1918). On October 4, 1918, Major Charles White Whittlesey was trapped with the other survivors of the 308th Battalion of the 77th Infantry Division that had become separated from other American forces. Although Cher Ami (French for Dear Friend) suffered severe injuries, he was able to deliver Whittlesey’s message to the American military leadership, allowing for the rescue of 193 survivors.
Overview
Carrier pigeons were used during World War I by the US Army Signal Corps to deliver messages and serve as a reliable form of communication. While World War I had seen great advances in communication, the radios the soldiers used required laying wires, which could be difficult to lay quickly and easily cut by enemy forces. As a result, carrier pigeons were trained to transport messages across enemy lines to a pre-designated location. Over the course of the war, more than two hundred thousand such pigeons were used. Many died; they were easy targets for enemy forces who knew of their task.
During the closing stages of the war, Whittlesey was directing a force of more than five hundred soldiers. Over the course of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive between September 26 and November 11, 1918, American forces engaged in their largest offensive of the war. Ultimately, more than fifty thousand American and German soldiers would be killed in northwest France in the last major battle before the Armistice of November 11, 1918, would end the war. In mid-October, Whittlesey became trapped in a depression located on the downward slope of a hill on the German side of the battle in France’s Argonne forest. His troops were subject to intense fire that ultimately left fewer than two hundred survivors by October 3. However, no one in the American forces knew where they were located, leading to Whittlesey’s unit earning the nickname of the “Lost Battalion.”
Whittlesey was unable to send human messengers for fear of revealing their location to the Germans. He initially sent two pigeons, both of which were shot down before they could return home. Cher Ami was the third such homing pigeon he used. This bird had successfully transported eleven previous messages to her handlers. Whittlesey wrapped a desperate message to Cher Ami’s leg indicating their position and testifying to the desperation of the situation. As with the two previous birds, Cher Ami was shot, suffering injuries that destroyed most of the leg carrying the message and blinding her in one eye. Despite these serious injuries, she nonetheless successfully carried the message, traveling 25 miles (40 kilometers) to her home base, thus enabling US forces to rescue the 193 survivors.
For her efforts, Cher Ami was awarded the French Croix de Guerre and became famous among American schoolchildren who learned about her heroic mission after the war. Her handlers attempted to nurse her back to health, but she died from her injuries on June 13, 1919. Her stuffed remains are on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. She was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame and further honored with a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Pigeon Fanciers.
Bibliography
Bienik, Adam. “Cher Ami: The Pigeon that Saved the Lost Battalion.” World War I Centennial Commission, 2016, www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/1210-cher-ami-the-pigeon-that-saved-the-lost-battalion.html. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.
Chalakoski, Martin. “Shot and Blinded, a Pigeon Named Cher Ami Continued Her Flight and Saved 197 American Soldiers at the End of World War I.” Vintage News, 2 Dec. 2017. www.thevintagenews.com/2017/12/02/cher-ami/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.
“Cher Ami.” Smithsonian Museum, www.si.edu/object/nmah‗425415. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.
“Cher Ami: Dear Friend to the Rescue.” Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, www.lowellmilkencenter.org/programs/projects/view/dear-friend-to-the-rescue/hero. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.
Meier, Allison C. “Cher Ami.” Atlas Obscura, www.atlasobscura.com/places/cher-ami. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.
Milivojevic, Dejan. “Wounded Four Times, The WW1 Carrier Pigeon That Flew to the Rescue.” War History Online, 25 May 2019, www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/cher-ami-the-smallest-hero-wwi.html/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.
Notopoulos, Katie. “The Heartwarming Story of Cher Ami, The Pigeon Who Saved 200 American Soldiers.” BuzzFeed News, 3 Jan. 2014, www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/the-heartwarming-story-of-cher-ami-the-pigeon-who-saved-200. Accessed 27 May 2019.
Webley, Kayla. “Cher Ami the Pigeon.” Time Magazine, 21 Mar. 2011, http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2059858‗2059863‗2060209,00.html/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.