First recipients of the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery
Who
SSgt Reckless, GI Joe, Cher Ami, Bass, Bucca, Lucca, Stormy, Chips
What
/ first
Where
Korea (Republic of) ()
When

With the inaugural ceremony taking place on 14 November 2019 on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, USA, eight animals were deemed worthy to receive the first ever Medal of Bravery for "conspicuously distinguishing themselves by displaying gallantry and acts of valor within the performance of their duties". Five of these were dogs - Chips (a scouting dog stationed in North Africa in WWII), Stormy (a marine scout dog in the Vietnam War), Lucca (a specialized search dog with the US Marine Corps deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan), Bucca (a fire-scene investigation dog in New York City) and Bass (a multipurpose canine with the Marine Corps Special Ops posted to Afghanistan and East Africa). The other three recipients were two messenger pigeons - Cher Ami (WWI) and GI Joe (WWII) - and a horse, Reckless (a Korean mare that supplied ammunition to American troops during the Korean War).


Many of these heroic animals have already received other accolades for their bravery including Purple Hearts (Reckless, Chips - since revoked) PDSA Dickin Medals (Reckless, Chips, Lucca, GI Joe) and France's Croix de Guerre with Palm (Cher Ami) to name just a few.

On 9 March 2022, at the COVID-delayed second Animals in War & Peace awards ceremony, three further dogs received the Medal of Bravery: Nemo, Cairo and MPC Ziggy. Three other dogs were presented the new Distinguished Service Medal for heroic animals from civilian life: Hurricane, Feco and Smoky.