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Vietnam veteran Gene Hart with Gunner, one of his dogs. Hart came to appreciate dogs who assisted soldiers during the Vietnam War, and now he has made a mission out of caring for strays.
Episode 2654 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Vietnam Veteran Gene Hart and his dog story. The featured story comes from The Moulton Advertiser and is titled: Vietnam vet continues service by protecting stray dogs. It was submitted by Wes Tomlinson.
Tomlinson reported in his story about Marine Vietnam Veteran Gene Hart was born in 1945 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, England, known for being the 16th century birthplace of playwright William Shakespeare. Hart’s father was a soldier in the U.S. Army and was stationed there in World War II during the Blitz, an intense German bombing campaign against Britain in 1940 and 1941.
Hart said, “My father met my mother and here I am.”
After the war, the family relocated to Paris, Tennessee, where Hart grew up. Hart wanted to follow in his father and uncle’s footsteps and enlisted in the U.S. military in 1964. He was dispatched to the Dominican Republic the following year to aid the country in fighting rebel forces in a civil war.
After two tours with the Marines in Vietnam he settled in Town Creek, Alabama and began caring for stray dogs. Hart has fed and paid for veterinarian care for dozens of dogs since then and has given several away to good homes. He now has his sights on giving dogs to veterans through a nonprofit organization called Working Dogs for Vets in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, which trains them to be support dogs for veterans.
Working Dogs For Vets Mission is to provide service dogs and training to disabled heroes in need, empowering them as they return to civilian life with new-found independence; reducing suicide and overcrowding in animal shelters.
Listen to episode 2654 and discover more about Marine Vietnam Veteran Gene Hart and his dog story.
