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Sgt. Geronimo won't be forgotten, either.
 A
granite memorial was installed Tuesday at the head of
a grave marker for Geronimo, a parachuting World War II
canine celebrity.
While the attention of veterans is focused
on Saturday's dedication of the National World War II
Memorial in Washington, D.C., this marker honors the celebrated
jumping dog at the Denver Pet Cemetery and Crematory,
5721 E. 72nd Ave.
More than a mascot for the 507th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, the mixed-breed stray became famous.
He could sell war bonds as well as Hollywood stars Betty
Grable and Bob Hope. He became the second- most-famous
dog in the nation, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's
Scottish terrier, Fala.
"The dog would jump with his master,
Ken Williams, and sometimes with members of headquarters
company," said Clarence Hughart, 84, of Arvada, a
veteran of the unit.
 Geronimo
was part coyote and part German shepherd. Williams adopted
the stray in 1942, while training at Fort Benning, Ga.
Geronimo jumped and jumped, taking his
name from the cry some paratroopers made as they leaped.
"All the newspapers made a big story
of a parachuting dog," Hughart said.
Geronimo jumped to draw donors for blood
drives. He jumped for war bond rallies. But he didn't
jump once in Denver because of a broken harness, disappointing
the crowd.
 "Sometimes,
a dog can accomplish what humans can only dream of,"
Roosevelt said. The president kept a plaster print of
Geronimo's paw on his desk, after the dog helped sell
$16 million in war bonds.
Geronimo died May 11, 1947, when he was
hit by a truck. He was living in Denver with Williams,
who was attending the University of Denver.
© 2004 Rocky Mountain News
Special
thanks to Ben for sending me this gem...
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