CHER AMI
2011
Copper rod, fabric, wood.
8 x 6 x 13 1/2 inches
Cher Ami is a World War I hero. He delivered a message that saved the lives of over 200 American soldiers that were being attacked from the sky by their own army.
The message read:
We are along the road parallel to 276.4.
Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us.
For heaven’s sake, stop it.
Cher Ami was badly wounded. When he reached his destination, the leg that was holding the message capsule was barely attached. Medics worked hard to patch him up—including carving him a little wooden leg.
When the French army heard about the pigeon, they awarded him a medal of bravery called Croix de guerre with a palm leaf.
Cher Ami died on June 13, 1919, less than a year after his mission. His body was preserved and is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The message read:
We are along the road parallel to 276.4.
Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us.
For heaven’s sake, stop it.
Cher Ami was badly wounded. When he reached his destination, the leg that was holding the message capsule was barely attached. Medics worked hard to patch him up—including carving him a little wooden leg.
When the French army heard about the pigeon, they awarded him a medal of bravery called Croix de guerre with a palm leaf.
Cher Ami died on June 13, 1919, less than a year after his mission. His body was preserved and is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
