Historic Tidbit

• June 3, 1961 Died: G.I. Joe (pigeon), 18. The war pigeon was credited with saving the lives of 1,000 soldiers of the British 56th Infantry. On October 18, 1943, the division had taken control of the village of Calvi Vecchia in Italy, shortly before the RAF was preparing to make an air strike there. The pigeon flew 20 miles to the airfield just as seven RAF bombers were preparing to depart, and the mission was aborted in time.^[12]