Larger dogs pulled machine guns and terriers were known for their excellent pest control abilities. (Wikimedia Commons)Ī cigarette dog must have been a bit of fun, but Mutt was by far not the only dog with a job in World War I and wouldn’t have seemed that wildly out of place. Stubby served as a mascot for the 102nd Infantry, 26th Division during World War I. The same film clip shows a “Y man” selling cigarettes out of the back of a truck, quickly donning a gas mask due to an attack, then continuing with God’s work of getting the boys smokes. Army was issuing cigarettes, the YMCA was innovating how they conducted their operations. By the war’s end, when this video was taken, we know that even though the U.S. We don’t know as much as we’d like to about Mutt, but one account says that he made it to America after the war. As a top staff aide to General Pershing described it, “A cigarette may make the difference between a hero and a shirker.” And, dulling taste buds were an advantage when rations were repetitive and boring and best and rancid or molding at worst. The smell helped to cover the grotesque stench of war: human waste, decaying bodies, and intense body odor. The buzz was thought to steady the hands and create wakefulness and alertness. It alleviated boredom and gave a psychological lift, much as it is used now, but also more dire concerns. There were no smoke pits in World War I, or more accurately, everything was a smoke pit. The YMCA was the largest, which provided 90% of aid work through uniformed combat civilians, ranging from essential services like feeding and nursing the troops to hosting singalongs, passing out baseball gear, and soon, delivering cigarettes. The old guard disliked the “molly-coddling,” and “pink tea parties” and left relief work to civilians. In many ways, World War I was the first American war where morale was taken seriously. However, the multi-step process of preparing a pipe required time and equipment that were not ideal during combat. Pipe smoking was the preferred method of nicotine hit for the refined set. In fact, at the start of World War I, cigarettes were considered immoral, and trashy, if not necessarily unhealthy. If it seems odd that the Young Men’s Christian Association was running smokes to the troops in 1918, it’s fair to say that just a few years prior, the YMCA would have thought the same. And while it’s mission first, he takes time to get some well-earned trench scritches while the doughboys pass out a carton of cigarettes, no doubt providing a morale boost. Mutt knew the uniform of the day and wore it with pride, as the photos clearly show his jaunty cravat proudly displaying the YMCA logo.
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