Cher Ami - A Story of Hope and Inspiration
Gregg Zegarelli Esq.
Managing Shareholder at Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC
Cher Ami was a homing pigeon. Her name is French for "Dear Friend," which is the masculine formative. She was thought to be male until after her death, at which time the enshrining taxidermist discovered that she was female.
I recently discovered this story by accident. It impressed me for many reasons, and I thought that it might be discovered—or re-discovered—by a newer generation.
The story of Cher Ami teaches us about the power of hope, simple determination to a goal, and, perhaps most of all, the Tolkienesque moral that we are saved by the least likely savior, here, being a pigeon.
The year is 1918. More specifically, October 3rd, 1918. World War I is raging.
Major Charles White Whittlesey?and 194 men are trapped behind enemy lines without food or ammunition. More than that, they are being hammered with friendly fire from allied troops who were unaware of their location.
Surrounded by the Germans, Major Whittlesey's runners for help are being consistently intercepted or killed by the Germans, so Whittlesey was forced to try dispatching messages by pigeon.
The first pigeon carrying the first message, "Many wounded. We cannot evacuate." is shot down. The second pigeon was sent with the message, "Men are suffering. Can support be sent?" is also shot down.
And, then, Cher Ami. She is dispatched with a note, written on onion paper, in a canister attached to her leg, "We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heavens sake stop it."
As Cher Ami tries to fly back home, the Germans saw her rising out of the brush and opened fire. She is quickly shot down as well. But, Cher Ami arose to take flight again. Lo and behold, she arrives at division headquarters 25 miles to the rear in just 25 minutes.
Cher Ami arrives shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, and one of her legs hanging by a tendon. But, with the message delivered, salvation to the soldiers.
Army medics worked to save her life, and they did so. Unable to to save her leg, they carved her a small wooden leg.
Cher Ami was awarded the?Croix de Guerre?Medal with a palm?Oak Leaf Cluster?for her heroic service in delivering 12 important messages in?Verdun. She died at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, on June 13, 1919 from the wounds she received in battle. She was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931. She also received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of her service during World War I. In November 2019, she became one of the first winners of the?Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery, bestowed on her posthumously at ceremony on?Capitol Hill?in?Washington, D.C.
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Cher Ami is enshrined in the?Smithsonian Institution. She is on display for continued inspiration with?Sergeant Stubby?in the?National Museum of American History's "Price of Freedom" exhibit.
To American school children of the 1920s and 1930s, Cher Ami was well known, but this story and its moral are now lost to many by application of time.
This is a beautiful story of desperate last-hope in a small and seemingly fragile thing, against all odds. Salvation by what some might call a lowly pigeon, but one that had focus, determination, and the grit to do its job. So we remember Dear Friend and her timeless lesson of hope and inspiration.
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* Read more, primary source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_Ami
See also, Burning Bridges - Business of Aesop? No. 15 - The Lion and the Mouse; No. 15. The Lion and the Mouse - The Essential Aesop? - Back to Basics Abridgment Series; A Message to Garcia (and Every Entrepreneur) - Abridgment Series
*?Gregg Zegarelli, Esq., earned both his Bachelor of Arts Degree and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His dual major areas of study were History from the College of Liberal Arts and Accounting from the Business School (qualified to sit for the CPA examination), with dual minors in Philosophy and Political Science. He has enjoyed Adjunct Professorships in the Duquesne University Graduate Leadership Master Degree Program (The Leader as Entrepreneur; Developing Leadership Character Through Adversity) and the University of Pittsburgh Law School (The Anatomy of a Deal). He is admitted to various courts throughout the United States of America.
Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.,?is Managing Shareholder of?Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC.?Gregg is nationally rated as "superb" and has more than 35 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes, including startups,?INC. 500, and publicly traded companies.?He is author of?One: The Unified Gospel of Jesus,?and?The Business of Aesop? article series, and co-author with his father,?Arnold Zegarelli, of?The Essential Aesop: For Business, Managers, Writers and Professional Speakers.?Gregg is a frequent lecturer, speaker and faculty for a variety of educational and other institutions.?
? 2021 Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.?Gregg can be contacted through?LinkedIn.
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