Tabby Gets Military Rank After Iraq Tour

[Walt Starr]

Tabby Gets Military Rank After Iraq Tour
Pvt. Hammer, a Tabby Cat Adopted by Troops in Iraq, Gets First-Class Trip Home to America

The Associated Press



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. July 13, 2004 — Fort Carson Staff Sgt. Rick Bousfield of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team had a mission: Saving Pvt. Hammer.

Pfc. Hammer is an Iraqi tabby cat the unit adopted after he was born last fall at a base in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad

When Bousfield found out his unit was leaving Iraq in March, he decided he couldn't leave a member of his team behind.

"He has been through mortar attacks," said Bousfield, a 19-year Army veteran. "He'd jump and get scared liked the rest of us. He is kind of like one of our own."

<snip>

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040713_410.html

Okay, we needed some kind of a decent story out of Iraq. This one made me feel good since we recently adopted another kitten.

[shoelace414]

1. Well. that clinched it

I'm voting for Bush.

[mhr]

3. Now Let's Not Give KKKarl Any New Ideas For Mobilizing The Feline Vote

eom

[Cocoa]

2. want TONS of good Iraq stories?

you can get them at the Pentagon's propaganda website, defenselink.mil.


They featured this cat -- which is gorgeous, btw -- back in April.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2004/n04242004_200404242.html

[mhr]

4. That's A Big Cat!

eom

[SoCalDem]

5. Yikes.. He's HUGE... Maybe he's Al Cata...look out

:)

[SheepyMcSheepster]

19. lol

[SoDesuKa]

8. Look at Those Forearms!

Are those forearms or forelegs?

[joeybee12]

15. This cat ahs to be half-tiger!

Big Kitty!

[mom cat]

22. What a beauty!

[Bandit]

23. Desert Camo

Love the "tiger stripes" Not much different than the ones I wore some thirty-five years ago.

[bkcc]

6. I guess that means the war was definitely worth it.

That's the feel-good story of the war.

awwwww....How cute.
Let's vote *.

[Dr Fate]

7. Message: I would prefer they help human children. n/t

n/t

[petersjo]

9. The fact that some soldiers were kind to this cat...

takes nothing away from anyone's efforts to help human children. Kindness doesn't have to be an "either/or" situation. It can be extended to both humans and animals. That'll be 2 cents, please.

[Dr Fate]

11. Response: I own 3 cats. This is a non story to me.

I agree with some of the posters that this is a "feel good" propaganda story.

I'm glad the cat is safe, but thousands of people are dead- and we have little idea what the future holds.

Keep the change!!! :)

[calico1]

13. I agree. I am happy there is a happy ending

for this cat.

[sammythecat]

31. children or animals

Thanks for your accurate and succint reply to the comment about saving children instead of the cat. I don't want to offend anyone but that kind of thinking really irritates me. If it were publicly known that I had gone to a movie, or adopted a cat, scratched my ass or taken a nap, someone would probably chastise me for not saving children or whales instead. I contribute to the welfare of both children and animals (Unicef and WWF). I do not, and can not, however, devote every waking minute of my life to either one and neither does any other human on this planet. Also, I don't believe our capacity for love and kindness has any innate limit. It is as limited or limitless as we choose. My concern for the welfare of animals in no way detracts from my concern for the welfare of people. To think otherwise would be like saying someone with four children could only love each one half as much as someone with two children.

[Qanisqineq]

10. that is so sweet!

When my husband was there, his unit adopted a stray kitten and a couple stray puppies. Really helped morale, I think.

[Walt Starr]

12. They need something to help morale!

They certainly aren't getting any morale boosts from the Chump in Charge!

[DarthDem]

14. I'm Sure We All Realize . . .

. . . that DoD released this for propaganda purposes.

That said, anything that raises the morale of those poor men and women over there has to be a positive, doesn't it? And the cat is adorable.

[Occulus]

16. Maybe so, but

this is the first I've heard of a cat being taken into combat, etc.

Good on them for adopting it. Animals in military units really do boost morale in a big way. Shoot, here at home, our cat helps boost morale!

[skooooo]

17. Cat served more time than Bush

[SeattleDem]

21. LOL

good one! I bet the cat would have preferred a stint in Texas too instead of combat.

[frank frankly]

25. zing!

what a beautiful cat, though. WOW.

[RazzoDazzo]

27. Maybe they can train the cat to land on a carrier

as easily as they could Dubya.........

[bobbieinok]

28. a good campaign poster....the picture with your statement

under/on top of

I'd like one

[AspenRose]

18. Pretty, pretty kitty....

Ugly, ugly war.

[cardlaw]

20. Troop Morale:

Cats: Yes.
Homos: No.

[KamaAina]

24. A Baghdad suburb gave its name to the tabby

http://www.onestopenglish.com/news/magazine/Vocab/storyword2.htm

The Baghdad suburb of Al Attabiya was well-known in the Middle Ages for the production of cloth, particularly silk. This was exported throughout the Middle East and ultimately reached Europe, where it was highly valued. Its most striking characteristic was that it was striped and someone somewhere must have noticed the resemblance between the stripes of the Attabiya (or "attabi") cloth and the black and brown stripes of a particular type of cat, hence the use of the word "tabby" to describe such cats.

Wonder how many tabbies are left in Al-Attabiya these days, after all the bombing? At least that one got out alive -- which is more than many of our two-legged troops can say :(

[sofa king]

26. This is an oft-told story.

Back in WWII, Stars and Stripes and other news sources regularly reported on unit mascots and "members." They included dogs (probably the most well known was George Patton's William the Conqueror), cats, buffalo, reindeer, chickens, and of course the toughest of them all, Siwash, the androgynous beer-drinking, Japanese chicken-fighting, citation-winning duck who helped the 10th Marines invade Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian.

[RamboLiberal]

29. Nice story - better than the one a couple of months ago

where some idiot officers were ordering their units to kill the Iraqi dogs they had adopted.

As some Viet Vet put it here - no wonder some officers get fragged.

Good story. And loved the post that the cat had served more time than AWOL.

[Khephra]

30. The only use my cats would be for the battlefield

Would be letting me know when it's going to rain, as they duck for cover about a half hour before any storm hits.