• During World War I, nearly 200 soldiers of New York’s 77th Infantry Division joined with 300 other troops and pushed through the Argonne Forest in France, which was held by the German army. They laid down an assault on the German troops that surrounded them, believing that French forces and American units were following on their flanks. But they broke through the German lines so easily and advanced so rapidly that their back-up battalions could not keep up with them. They became “lost” not in the sense that they did not know where they were, but in the sense that their support system did not know where they were. They became the Lost Battalion.
• Led by Major Charles Whittlesey, they found themselves trapped on a steep and heavily wooded slope as the Germans regrouped and surrounded them. For the next six days, as they ran short of ammunition, food, and other supplies, Whittlesey spurred their courage and kept them fighting.
• Unfortunately, the French and American units who were supposed to provide support lost track of where they were and assumed they were German forces. They began opening fire on their allies. Now the Lost Battalion was under fire not only from the enemy, but also from friendly fire. There was only a single spring available as a source of water, and German sharpshooters killed anyone who came near it.
• Communication was limited. Human messengers ended up captured or killed by the Germans. The best way to get in touch was by carrier pigeon. They had three on hand. One after another, the pigeons were released with messages tied to their legs. One after another, the birds were shot down by German troops.
• Finally they were down to their very last bird, a homing pigeon named Cher Ami, meaning “dear friend” in French.
• 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 WW I. Many of these birds had been donated by the pigeon fanciers of Britain and had been trained by American pigeoners.
• He had previously delivered twelve important messages for the American sector at the Battle of Verdun in France, so he was well-seasoned.
• The message, written on onion paper and placed in a tiny canister tied to the bird’s leg, gave their exact position and stated “Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heavens sake stop it.” The bird was released on October 4, 1918.
• As Cher Ami took flight, the Germans took aim and fired at the bird, who dropped to the ground, gravely wounded. But he got up and took flight a second time, this time making it back to his loft located at division headquarters 25 miles (40 km) away. He made the trip in just 25 minutes. The message was received and the friendly fire ceased. The 194 survivors were saved.
• Army medics found that Cher Ami had been shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, and had a leg dangling by a single tendon. He was nursed back to relative health. When he recovered enough to travel, the now one-legged bird was put on a boat to the United States, with General John J. Pershing seeing him off. Cher Ami died on June 13, 1919 as a result of his wounds.
• Cher Ami was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross from the U.S. Army, as well as the Croix de Guerre by the French. He was 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. His remains are on display at the Smithsonian.
