Cher Ami the Pigeon-- Part 3: American Hero and Awards

For this, Cher Ami became a hero of the 77th Division.  Army medics worked to save her life.  They were unable to save it so they carved a small wooden one.  When she had recovered enough to travel, the now one-legged bird was put on a boat back to the United States, with General John J. Pershing seeing her off.

AWARDS

 Cher Ami was given  the Croix de Guerre Medal by the French for delivering 12 messages at Verdun.

She died at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, on June 13, 1919, of the wounds she received.

After that, she was inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931.  She also received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers.

The man responsible for training and caring for her in the U.S. Signal Corps, Enoch Clifford Swain, was given an award for his service.

--Cooter