By Freakingcat (Guest Contributor)

Recently “The Telegraph” published a Cable, dated 16/11/2007,  which contained an astonishing revelation:

XXX also confirmed that royal poodle Foo Foo now holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal

It might come to many as a surprise that a dog, even if it has a prominent owner, holds the rank of an Air Chief Marshal.

Rank insignia of Thai Air Force Air Chief Marshal (พล อากาศ เอกี)

Who is an Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force?

The officer appointed to command the Royal Thai Air Force has been promoted to the rank of air chief marshal (Thai: พลอากาศเอก, Phon Akat Ek) since c. 1950. From 1950 to 2010 there have been 18 Royal Thai Air Force commanders who have held the rank. The present commander is Air Chief Marshal Itthaporn Subhawong  who is supported by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief (currently Air Chief Marshal Kanaphan Sanguansat) and the Assistant Commander-in-Chief (currently Air Chief Marshal M.L. Suthirat Kasemsan).

Air Chief Marshal Itthaporn Subhawong was appointed the 21st Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) on the 1st of October 2008.

It seems that beside Air Chief Marshal Ittaporn Subhawong, Foo-Foo the Poodle is sharing the same rank in the Royal Thai Air Force.

It is unknown how much yearly salary Air Chief Marshal Ittaporn Subhawong receives, nor if Air Chief Marshal Foo-Foo is entitled to a salary for his services in the Royal Thai Air Force.

One might think that it is very unusual for a dog to be granted a high military rank, but Foo-Foo is not the only dog which has achieved  a high rank or was awarded a medal.

Judy (1937 – 17 February 1950) was a ship’s dog on board HMS Gnat and HMS Grasshopper before and during World War II. She helped save the lives of the crew of the Grasshopper following the sinking of the -ship, and, once captured by the Japanese, helped the men in the Prisoner-of-war camp. She was the only dog to be registered as a Second World War Prisoner of War and survived for a while in the jungles of Sumatra after the guards had sentenced her to death. Following the war, she came to the United Kingdom with Williams and was awarded the Dickin Medal, considered to be the animals’ Victoria Cross

“For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners and also for saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness”

Just Nuisance was the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. He was a Great Dane who from 1939-44 served at HMS Afrikander, a Royal Navy shore establishment in Simon’s Town, South Africa. He died in 1944 and was buried with full military honors.

He never went to sea, but fulfilled a number of roles ashore. He continued to accompany sailors on train journeys and escorted them back to base when the pubs closed. While many of his functions were of his own choosing, he also appeared at many promotional events, including his own ‘wedding’ to another Great Dane, Adinda. Adinda produced five pups as a result, two of which were auctioned off in Cape Town to raise funds for the war effort

Nuisance’s service record was not exemplary. Aside from the offences of traveling on the trains without his free pass, being absent without leave, losing his collar and refusing to leave the pub at closing time, his record shows that he was sentenced to have all bones removed for seven days for sleeping in an improper place: one of the Petty Officer’s beds. He also fought with the mascots of ships that put in at Simon’s Town, resulting in the deaths of at least two of them.

Air Chief Marshal Foo-Foo of the Royal Thai Air Force takes part in many official events:

Foo Foo was present at the event, dressed in formal evening attire complete with paw mitts, and at one point during the band’s second number, he jumped up onto the head table and began lapping from the guests’ water glasses, including my own. The Air Chief Marshal’s antics drew the full attention of the 600-plus audience members, and remains the talk of the town to this day.

(Source Wikileaks Cable)

I bet he was the talk of the town….

Sergeant Stubby (1916 or 1917 – March 16, 1926), was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat. Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry, 26th (Yankee) Division in the trenches in France for 18 months and participated in four offensives and 17 battles. He entered combat on February 5, 1918 at Chemin des Dames, north of Soissons, and was under constant fire, day and night for over a month.

The list of  medals and awards which Sergeant Stubby had received is impressive:

Stubby was made a life member of the American Legion, the Red Cross, and the YMCA. In 1921, the Humane Education Society awarded him a special gold medal for service to his country. It was presented by General John Pershing.

  • 3 Service Stripes
  • Yankee Division YD Patch
  • French Medal Battle of Verdun
  • 1st Annual American Legion Convention Medal
  • New Haven World War I Veterans Medal
  • Republic of France Grande War Medal
  • St Mihiel Campaign Medal
  • Wound Stripe, replaced with Purple Heart when introduced in 1932
  • Chateau Thierry Campaign Medal
  • 6th Annual American Legion Convention
  • Humane Education Society Gold Medal

It is not known what services Air Chief Marshal Foo-Foo had rendered to his country, nor what battles he had fought or how many lives he had saved, to be awarded  such a high rank.

Even the famous General George S. Patton, a World War II War hero, was an avid animal lover. The most famous bull terrier owned by General Patton was purchased on 4 March, 1944. He was named Willie, short for “William the Conqueror.” Willie was devoted to General Patton and followed him everywhere.

Whether there are other animals serving  in the Royal Thai Army or the Royal Thai Air Force couldn’t be determined yet.

Freakingcat is a free-lance blogger and can be followed on Twitter under @freakingcat

(A side note: There are also some other interesting tidbits in this recently released cable, which are obviously not part of this post, but due to the usual legal reasons we cannot fully quote or link to the cable. Saksith)