The War Birds Of Fort Monmouth

THE FIFER · November 17, 2011

THE WAR BIRDS OF FORT MONMOUTH

Hi,

I thought you may find the following article of interest.

Written by Shannon Mullen, Staff Writer.Â November 11, 2011

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The eagle may be the symbol of American freedom and military might, but no eagle ever received France's Croix de Guerre for valor, or saved the lives of 1,000 troops trapped behind enemy lines, or walked five miles to deliver vital information after being shot out of the sky.

Pigeons, of the homing variety, accomplished all of this and countless other amazing feats, during their long and storied service in the U.S. Army.

Today, few people know about the heroism of these unassuming birds, or the integral role that Fort Monmouth played as the home of the Army's pigeon breeding and training center from 1917 to 1957.

"Back in the day, these pigeons were rock stars," said independent filmmaker Alessandro Croseri, who is completing a series of three documentaries about the Army's "pigeoneers," including the late Col. Clifford A. Poutre, a legendary figure who led the Pigeon Service for many years. "And then, everyone forgot about them."

In peacetime, thousands of people used to flock to the fort every year to see the pigeons. The star attractions included G.I. Joe, who saved a British brigade that was being bombarded by friendly fire in Italy in 1943, and Kaiser, a one-time German POW who later delivered messages for the Americans in World War I and went on to live to the ripe, old age of 32, twice the life span of an average pigeon.

"He was a tough bird," marveled Croseri, 38, of New York City, who has bred and raced pigeons all his life.

To read the entire article, please visit the website and scroll down: http://www.pigeonsincombat.com/.

Kind regards,

Al Croseri

Director, Producer, Writer

Alessandro Croseri Productions

301 East 21st Street

New York, NY 10010

212 677 6833

www.pigeonsincombat.com

Col. Clifford A. Poutre tossing the last bird in 1957 at the close-out of the U.S. Army Signal Corps Pigeon Service, Fort Monmouth. /Photo courtesy of Alessandro Croseri Productions.