Hummer charges onto Parris Island

[thedrifter]

Hummer charges onto Parris Island
Puppy recruit will follow tradition of depot mascots
Published Tuesday April 25 2006
By LORI YOUNT
The Beaufort Gazette

Recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island cannot expect so much as a glance from a sergeant major until graduation day. But one of the newest arrivals receives treats and kisses from Sgt. Maj. Vincent Villemaire.

Hummer, a 14-week-old English bulldog puppy, is in training to be the recruit depot's next mascot.

Twenty-five pounds of wrinkly skin and vivacity, Hummer spends his work day bounding around the Headquarters and Service Battalion building, commanding the attention of all Marines in his path, sometimes convincing them to play.

His handler, Cpl. Jenna Bender, said she has to keep his outgoing personality in check, though.

"Even some Marines are afraid of dogs," she said.

Bender, who bred Great Danes for six years, requested the job of training Hummer to assume the duties of the depot mascot and takes Hummer home every night to her on-base residence where she lives with her husband and 2-year-old son.

The current mascot, 4-year-old Lance Cpl. Mac, has already stopped ceremonial appearances and will soon be medically retired because of a spinal injury. His Marine handler is adopting him.

"He liked to jump at people," Bender said. "He liked to intimidate."

Before filling his billet, Hummer, like all enlisted Marines east of the Mississippi River, must complete recruit training on Parris Island.

In a few weeks, he'll be assigned to a platoon and accompany it on the yellow footprints and training events for 12 weeks. Then, he'll enter the Marine Corps as private first class and be dubbed the depot's mascot officially.

Hummer has already proved to be a quick learner, Bender said. He sits, stays, heels (sort of) and shakes, but Bender said the biggest challenge will be teaching him how to salute.

As mascot, Hummer will attend the Emblem Ceremony on Thursdays, colors and graduation ceremonies on Fridays and hang out at the visitors' center for all families to marvel at how cute and well-behaved a Marine really can be.

Hummer will be next in a long line of depot mascots. Mike, an Irish terrier, was the first recorded mascot in 1915, according to a 1984 article in Leatherneck. A monument to him that stands across from the commanding officer's quarters is the oldest monument on the island. Various other mascots and officers' pets, including a poodle, have grave stones in an unofficial pet cemetery, but none rival that of Mike's marker.

After World War I, the mascots tended to be English bulldogs, as the Marine Corps as a whole unofficially adopted it as their mascot after a legendary battle in which the Marines fought with such ferocity the German Army called them "devil-dogs," the wild mountain dogs of Bavarian folklore. Soon after, a Marine recruiting poster used the nickname and a picture of an English bulldog.

No matter what breed, Marines continue to coddle their canine counterparts with dress uniforms and service record books. In the archives of the Parris Island Museum, there's a record book salvaged from a mascot in the 1980s, Thor (God of Thunder), that includes promotion papers and life insurance policies complete with paw prints as signatures.

In the past, the depot has found its mascot in several ways, including donations. However, Hummer is a pedigreed English Bulldog, purchased from the same breeder who provides the University of Georgia with its mascot, Uga.

Such a high quality bulldog pup costs between $1,500 and $3,500, Bender said. Hummer and his care are funded by the Marine Corps.

"That's his pay -- in food and shelter and love and vet care," Bender said.

Ellie

[lprkn]

I know where they're trying to go with this, but 'Hummer' is just a bad, bad name for a dog. Very bad.

[LittleDevilDog]

Only in the Marine Corps! Gotta love it!!!