Pigeon G.I. Joe

“And another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city…’” [Revelation 14:8]

One of the most outstanding flights ever made by any war pigeon took place on October 18, 1943. On the day before the flight, the British 56th Infantry Division had requested air support to assist them in breaking the stubborn German defensive lines at the heavily fortified village of Calvi Vecchia, in Italy. However, soon after this message was sent, the British suddenly succeeded in making a surprise breakthrough. Without warning, the German resistance collapsed completely and the English troops overran the little town.

The British quickly realized that this unexpected victory would be disastrous for them unless they could get word through at once to call off the air support they had so recently requested. If not, they would certainly be massacred by their own planes, since they now occupied the very position they had asked to have bombed. It was at this point that they discovered they could not get word of their danger to the airfield. All communications had broken down in the hectic advance.

There was no choice now but to entrust their urgent message to one of the pigeons always kept on hand for just such an emergency. “G.I. Joe” was the pigeon chosen to carry this life-or-death message. Flying swiftly over the battle-torn land, the pigeon flew the 20 miles back to the U.S. air support base in 20 minutes, arriving just as the planes were warming up for takeoff on their mission to Calvi Vecchia. The successful completion of this historic flight saved the lives of more than 1,000 British soldiers.

After World War II, G.I. Joe was housed at the U.S. Army’s Hall of Fame in New Jersey along with 24 other pigeon heroes. In November 1946, G.I. Joe was cited and awarded the Dickin Medal for gallantry by the Lord Mayor of London. In March of 1957, he was placed with the Detroit Zoological Gardens, where he died June 3, 1961, at the age of 18. G.I. Joe is the only bird or animal in the United States to receive such a high award for successfully carrying a life-saving message.

Did you know the Bible talks about a life-saving message carried by three angels? Of the first, the Bible says, “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth…” (Revelation 14:6). What greater message could there be than one that could save the whole world?