Tippy the War Dog

Everyone who lived through World War II has a story to tell. My story is about my family’s farm dog Tippy. Maybe you’re wondering what a farm dog has to do with a world at war. All I can say is that Tippy was no ordinary dog.

I grew up on a 113-acre mixed-crop farm in southeastern Texas, halfway between Houston and San Antonio. My dad, James, and my two older brothers, Harry and James Jr., grew peanuts, cotton, corn and tomatoes.

I helped my mom, Effie, with her kitchen garden. Mom was a master gardener. She kept us fed year-round with potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes, turnips, radishes, lettuce and greens, plus a mouthwatering assortment of fruit.

The Great Depression had hit our part of Texas hard. The war