The Chronicals of Virgil

Oh Virgil, you are so lucky not to know! :Yes:
Mites are scary beasties, munchy beasties, and you ought to give your mom a kiss for keeping them away from you!

See for yourself:

...what a picture!

That picture is incredible, Teresa.
Mites, mites and more mites!!

OH MY! Thank you for telling me. I will never complain again about Mom cleaning, or even the funny smell in my box. If those things are mites, and they don't look at all friendly. I really don't ever want to meet any!

Virgil wrote:

OH MY! Thank you for telling me. I will never complain again about Mom cleaning, or even the funny smell in my box. If those things are mites, and they don't look at all friendly. I really don't ever want to meet any!

I'm right there with ya, Virgil.

Virgil............ You are a true Patriot!!! I love your picture with the flag.

Thank you for reminding us all to remember all those fallen pigeons who risked their lives to protect us.

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day. Tell your Mommy you deserve some special treats. :Yes:


Louise


I don't know how this post got above Virgil's...........but please read on about out hero Virgil.

Hi. I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Memorial Day. Me and Cricket have put up our flag in memory of all the brave Pigeons who served our country during wartime. There have been so many of them, and I really think they deserve recognition. So to mention just a few:
Cher Ami


Cher Ami delivered 12 important messages within the American sector at Verdun, France. On his last mission, Cher Ami, shot through the breast by enemy fire, managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that had also been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines.
http://peopleforpigeons.blogspot.com/2008/06/homing-pigeons-wartime-accomplishments.html

Paddy the Pigeon



Paddy the Pigeon
Wartime pigeon Paddy honoured

A war hero decorated for his bravery in the fight against Hitler is finally being honoured by his home town, Carnlough in Co Antrim, 55 years after his death.
Paddy the pigeon was the first bird make it back to England with vital news from the D-Day Normandy landings in June 1944.

His exploits of derring-do, avoiding deadly German falcons released to catch the airborne messengers, and making it back across the Channel, earned Paddy the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
'Heroic' bird

He made it back to his loft 230 miles away in Hampshire in four hours 50 minutes - the fastest time of any courier pigeon released during the Normandy landings.
http://www.u.tv/Lifestyle/Wartime-pigeon-Paddy-honoured/3e1d6b73-3fca-4292-b522-bc8871e3ed7f

GI Joe

G.I Joe is one of the most famous pigeons in history, most noted for saving a thousand soldiers during WWII.

Mocker

Mocker lost his left eye and the top of his head was gashed, but he delivered the life saving message. He was awarded the Distinguished service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre Medal.

Commando


The pigeon carried out more than ninety missions during the war, and received the Dickin Medal (the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross) for three particularly notable missions in 1942.
William of Orange

He was awarded the 21st Dickin Medal for delivering a message from the Arnhem Airborne Operation. This message saved more than 2000 soldiers combined at the time of the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944.
Mary Of Exeter

Four times she was injured, but each time she recovered to deliver her messages. The first time she was shot. The second time, when she didn’t return, they assumed she had been killed. Four days later she dropped down on her loft covered with blood. She was ripped open from neck to her breast, she had been attacked by a falcon.

PinHead

Another of the brave wartime pigeons who carried messages through the ememies lines.

And this is the Dickens Medal


And these are only some of the brave pigeons that served our country. You can read more on their stories at this link
http://pigeonracingpigeons.com/2010/02/05/famouspigeons/

It sure makes me proud to be a pigeon. I'm so proud of these guys. I sure wish more people understood how important we have been in saving the lives of so many people during wartime. Anyway, when we celebrate, and march in parades, or gather to watch them, and remember our brave men and women who gave their lives for our freedom, I would like everyone to remember all the brave Pigeons that also served our country and many gave their lives to save the lives of the men and women that we are remembering today.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my post. I worked very hard on it, and it means so much to me.
Your friend,
Virgil

Thanks for the reminder, Virgil.

In honor of the brave British pigeons.

a wonderful tribute, thanks Virgil

just yesterday i was telling my step-daughter that humans had sent pigeons to war and how they had become heroes
she is scared of our balcony pijies but i think after learning about how special all pigeons are she will make friends

Thank you Virgil, for recognizing all our fine feathered friends who served in the military.

LOL. Yes he worked really hard on that post. Kept making me look things up online.

Charis, I love the flags waving. Thanks.

That was a beautiful tribute, Virgil, and I loved your photo!
It's good to remember such acts of heroism and dedication, especially nowadays when the world has become so materialistic!
I would not recommend the Pigeonracingpigeons site, though. They advocate the systematic culling of 'surplus' YBs.

Teresa wrote:

That was a beautiful tribute, Virgil, and I loved your photo!
It's good to remember such acts of heroism and dedication, especially nowadays when the world has become so materialistic!

I would not recommend the Pigeonracingpigeons site, though. They advocate the systematic culling of 'surplus' YBs.

:For Shame:

Ah guys...Virgil wasn't recommending the racing pigeon site...that's just where he looked up the famous war pigeons. Virgil isn't familiar enough with this site to know we have them posted right here already.

Matilda wrote:

Ah guys...Virgil wasn't recommending the racing pigeon site...that's just where he looked up the famous war pigeons. Virgil isn't familiar enough with this site to know we have them posted right here already.

Oh no, I didn't explain what I meant properly! I didn't mean Virgil had recommended that site, all he did was show the link to credit the source -- I just meant to warn anybody considering visiting them for further information, that the site has a dark side, and it's horrible to innocently stumble across some of the posts I saw!

Did any of you guys even click on that link to see where it brought you? I don't believe that particular page said anything about culling. Virgil worked so hard on that post, and now he is in his nest box very upset with your responses, which he had thought would be happy. Cricket is comforting him, but it will probably be a while before he posts again, as he will be worried that someone might misunderstand his intentions. He had only the best of intentions, and is very proud of his ancesters, and just wanted to honor them today.

Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Virgil, I never meant to upset you and I sure didn't misunderstand you. With hindsight, I see this is the wrong forum to address the ethics of other sites. And I hope in your disappointment you didn't overlook the fact that I loved your tribute and said so:

Teresa wrote:

That was a beautiful tribute, Virgil, and I loved your photo!
It's good to remember such acts of heroism and dedication, especially nowadays when the world has become so materialistic!

Matilda wrote:

Ah guys...Virgil wasn't recommending the racing pigeon site...that's just where he looked up the famous war pigeons. Virgil isn't familiar enough with this site to know we have them posted right here already.

I wasn't directing my :For Shame: at Virgil. I was directing it at the site that Teresa mentioned, for their practices.
My apologies if it was misinterpreted.

Well you know, that site has lots of good information. Many of their articles are very informative and helpful. The only thing I saw about culling was the article about training and letting the birds fly. They were not talking about actually killing the birds. I have no idea what the different posts are about, as I wouldn't be reading them anyway. But the information they offer on different topics is helpful. Like any other site, you take what you want, and leave the rest.

Hello Virgil, it is so nice to see you with the poster and the flag background! you're always entertaining.
BTW, would you ask your mom what kind of powder she dab on you. Please specify brand. Thanks.

Hey Virgil...I saw your little Hawthorne flock today. I was driving past them so I didn't have the opportunity to tell them what you have been up to.
Thought you'd like to know.

Virgil...I saw your old flock today. I even managed a quick picture of two of the girls...Simone and Myrna...that I'll post tomorrow.

I'll be sure and tell him in the morning. Right now he's roosting after a hard day of harrassing the others. I had to put him in time out for a while today, as he was guarding the lettuce, and wouldn't allow anyone to have any. So I let him enjoy some, then gently escorted him back to his nest box, where he spent a couple of hours with Cricket. Now he's sleeping soundly.

Yohoooo Virgil?!! . Where are you? Are you busy with Cricket?