Following the Army’s decision to reactivate its Scout Dog program, the Army and Marines entered into an interservice agreement to train Scout Dogs. Fort Benning, Georgia, served as the only training center for all Army and Marine Scout Dogs during the Vietnam War. All Scout Dogs trained at Fort Benning were procured and inducted into the service by the Air Force and sold to the Army for training.
Two Marine Scout Dog platoons were deployed to Vietnam in February 1966. The first Army Scout Dog platoon was deployed to Vietnam when the 25th IPSD arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in June 1966. Between late 1965 and January 1969 twenty-two Army Scout Dog Platoons (including the 48th IPSD) and four Marine Scout Dog Platoons were deployed to Vietnam.
Original 48th
Sgt. Bill Riley & Dan 66-67
Sykes & 1st Dog, 1967
Sykes’s 1st dog
Sykes, John Canney 1967
Sgt. E. Fuller 11/69
Running the dogs 1969
Off-leash class 1969
SP4 Les Doebler, Sgt. Mike Cunningham 1969
Les Doebler at obstacle course
SP4 Les Doebler, Sgt. Sykes
Marty Capell, Bob Powers, unk, unk 1969
Sykes and Martin Capell post-graduation Dec 1967
Cecil Pendleton and John Canney post-graduation Dec 1967
Canney holding Sykes’s Honor Student Trophy post-graduation Dec 1967
Sykes Dec 1967
Scout Dog School barracks and headquarters building, Kelly Hill 1967 (before moving next to OCS on Main Post)
Paul Willey, Benning, 1967
Jim Roy and Toby (23X5), Benning, 1967
Bill Riley and Dan, NCOIC demo team, 26th IPSD, Ft. Benning, 1966
Sykes ITC Graduation Certificate, Ft. Benning, Jun 1969
(Sykes and Sgt Foster were first ever to graduate from the ITC representing the 26th IPSD which qualified them to lecture at Infantry Hall)
Al Perrin, Scout Dog School Instructor HQ Detachment, Fort Benning, 1970
Vet Tech Frank Catania, Martin Mugavin, Benning, 1967
John P Olmstead, Benning, 1967
Bill Riley and Dan NCIOC demo team, Ft. Benning, 1966
Bill Riley and Dan, NCOIC demo team, Ft. Benning, 1966
Sykes Honor Student Award_letter, Ft. Benning, Jan 1968
Scout Dog School Instructors Cunningham, L. Foster, Doebler, Fort Benning HQ Detachment, 1970
Vet Tech Frank Catania, Vern Whybrew, Benning, 1967
Alfred Turner, Benning, 1967
Bill Riley and Dan, part of the team to reactivate the Scout Dog School, Ft. Benning, 1966
Bill Riley and King, Okinawa 1965
48th Handler Roster, Ft. Benning, 1966