Queenie and Her Master Have
Extra Special Reasons for Being Thankful This Season
Thanksgiving of 1945 holds special significance for Melvin Meggenberg, 536 ½ Third avenue, South, and his pet dog, “Queenie.”
The man and his dog both were returned to civilian status this week after having fought together through Corsica, Southern and Northern France and German campaigns with the American Seventh army.
Both Meggenberg and “Queenie,” who incidentally is a cross breed of water spaniel and shepherd, wear the coveted “gold duck” which informs the world they have been in the service of the U. S.
Attaches at the Camp Grant, Ill., discharge center very solemnly steered “Queenie” through the separation process. Her teeth were carefully checked, and she was “interviewed” and finally at a ceremony the “duck” patch was sewn on a special blanket of olive drab. Meggneberg’s campaign ribbons, which are studded with battle stars, also adorn the blanket.
Met In Sardinia
Meggenberg proclaimed himself the dog’s master some 19 months ago when he found a puppy huddled in the ruins of a bombed building on Sardinia. For weeks he fed the tiny dog out of a bottle. When Meggneberg’s combat engineer outfit shoved off for Corsica, of course Queenie went along. By this time she was the pampered pet of the entire unit and great care was taken to protect her from harm during the course of the drive through Southern France and later into Germany.
A Smuggle
When Meggenberg arrived at Marseilles, preparatory to returning to the States, officers of the transport were quite emphatic in their orders that no dogs would be allowed aboard. But Meggenberg and his friends has other ideas and so it was that when the troops disembarked on the east coast, “Queenie,” was among those present. She stayed by her master’s side while he was processed through Camp Kilmer, N. J., and later accompanied him to Illinois.
It is estimated that the dog has traveled at least 25,000 miles in her war career. She has seen some of Europe’s largest cities including Berlin, Frankfort and Cologne.
And so “Queenie” and her master are quite content to stay in Clinton and they feel they have special reasons for being thankful this Thanksgiving season.
Source: The Clinton Herald, Clinton, Iowa, November 22, 1945
