In talks about World War II hero dog Smoky, Bill Wynne saves surprise for last ...
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Bill Wynne always enthralls an audience with his story about World War II and the unlikeliest of heroes, Smoky the Yorkshire terrier. The former Plain Dealer photographer and reporter, 89, used plenty of pictures and a fancy PowerPoint in his presentation, sharing the story of how he got Smoky in New Guinea and trained him to do important tasks and to just brighten the day of the troops and the injured.
The dog was in combat 18 months, flying 12 combat missions. Wynne wrote a book about him, "Yorkie Doodle Dandy." The dog threaded an important telegraph cable through a narrow, 70-foot culvert to earn national acclaim. There's a war memorial in his honor in the Cleveland Metroparks.
"It's a great story," Wynne says.
He saves the show stopper for the end, reaching into his duffel to pull out " Smoky Too ," a Yorkshire who's the spitting image of Smoky.
"It's a surprise at the end," he said. "Lots of oohs and ahhs."
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