Cher Ami

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Object Details

Description: Physical Description; Stuffed carrier pigeon.; Specific History; Cher Ami was a registered Black Check cock carrier pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I. He delivered twelve important messages within the American sector at Verdun; on his last mission, October 4, 1918, he was shot through the breast and leg by enemy fire but still managed to return to his loft with a message capsule dangling from the wounded leg. The message Cher Ami carried was from Major Charles S. Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion" of the Seventy-seventy Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. The message brought about the relief of the 194 battalion survivors, and they were safe behind American lines shortly after the message was received.; For his heroic service, Cher Ami was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with palm. He was returned to the United States and died at Fort Monmouth, N.J. on June 13, 1919, as a result of his wounds. Cher Ami was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931, and received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War I.

Physical Description: feathers (overall material); glass (overall material); plaster (overall material); wood (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 9 1/2 in x 11 in x 5 1/2 in; 24.13 cm x 27.94 cm x 13.97 cm

See more items in: Political and Military History: Armed Forces History, Military; Military; ThinkFinity
Exhibition: Price of Freedom
Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

National Museum of American History

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a2-2f37-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa