First Lieutenant Merril F. McLane, Corporal Howard L. Cox, and “Motobu,” Okinawa, 1945

“Enemy Canine — ‘Motobu,’ a German Shepherd war dog of the Japanese, displays friendliness and complete trust in the hands of the new owners on Okinawa. (Left) Marine First Lieutenant Merril F. McLane, is the finder of the animal. Suffering from shell shock the dog lay under a rock, almost unconscious and unable to make its way to a nearby stream for a drink. Lieutenant McLane brought the sufferer a helmet full of water. Corporal Howard L. Cox helps the officer to care for the canine who is named for the peninsula on the island.”

From the Photograph Collection (COLL/3948), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections