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Carter 'Curley' Ren Bowman - Inactive
Address: Maitland, Florida
Email:
Dog(s) :CAP - 4K87 , -
Branch: Army , Other
Unit(s): 25th Infantry Platoon Scout Dogs (Bien Hoa) (An Khe) , 34th Infantry Platoon Scout Dogs (Bien Hoa) (An Khe) , Purple Heart Recipient
War(s): Vietnam
Cap, next to my ruck and shotgun
Biography:
Completed Off-Leash Scout Dog School in 1970, and took my dog, Cap 4K87, to RVN and was assigned to the 25th IPSD;, 1st Cav. That platoon stood down in 1971 and merged with the 34th IPSD, 1st Cav. Cap and I walked point for 8 months, making contact more than a dozen times. Not once was a person in my patrol wounded seriously enough to require medivac (only a couple of the contacts were of any significance). On June 28, 1971, I was attached to C Co. 2/8th Cav, 1st Cav Div (AM). The platoon leader did not want a dog on point, thought his guys could do it better. Cap and I were placed in the middle of the patrol. We were ambushed. Cap was killed, I was wounded, 3 Troopers were killed and 28 wounded that day. After 6 months in several hospitals, I was assigned as an instructor at the Scout Dog School in Ft. Benning, until the program dissolved. I remained in the Army until 1978. I then joined the Orlando Police Department and served 28 years. I keep a photo of Cap in the top drawer of my dresser and purposely look at nearly every day.