Soochow and the 4th Marines
by William R. Evans
Atwood Publishing Co.
ISBN 0-9617585-1-1
The true story of a small mongrel dog
adopted as a mascot by the 4th Marines in Shanghai, China
in 1937. Soochow became a legend in his own time riding
around Shanghai in rickshaws, eating sirloin steaks and
drinking beer with the other Marines in his own tailor
made uniforms.
When the 4th was ordered to the Philippines just before Pearl
Harbor, Private 1st Class Soochow was smuggled aboard ship with
with them. When the Marines were charged with the defense of the
island fortress of Corregidor, Soochow was also there hitting the
foxholes with his buddies. Soochow was on point always alerting
them to incoming Japanese aircraft long before the primitive radar
picked them up.
When Corregidor fell to the Japanese in May 1942, Soochow was
also taken prisoner and spent almost three years in Japanese
prisoner of war camps with his fellow Marines sharing their meager
rations because he was not entitled to one of his own.
He survived all this, and upon being liberated at Bilibid Prison
by the US Army in February of 1945, was flown with one of his
Marines buddies to the States. Soochow became the heroic,
pampered, ever aloof mascot at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in
San Diego, California. Soochow lived out his final days in
comfortable, well deserved, military retirement.
picture right is Technical Sergeant Paul J.
"Pappy" Wells and Private 1st Class Soochow shortly after being
liberated.
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