STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 17
Ace the War Dog:
FROM WORLD WAR II TO STILLWATER
It started humbly in war-torn New Guinea in 1943. Ten years later, it ended 8,000 miles away in Stillwater, where the revered dog of an Oklahoma State University Air Force ROTC instructor was buried and memorialized.
With a name like Ace the War Dog, he must have had a fascinating life. It started humbly in war-torn New Guinea in 1943. Ten years later, it ended 8,000 miles away in Stillwater, where the revered dog of an Oklahoma State University Air Force ROTC instructor was buried and memorialized.
Ace’ s exploits made headlines. He was a symbol of loyalty and lifted morale at military airfields and reunions. Still today, a plaque honoring Ace and his owner is displayed at the Stillwater Regional Airport.
Lorren L. Perdue was fond of telling the story of how, in 1943, he rescued the ailing black Australian Shepherd.
In a 2007 news release issued by OSU, Perdue said that while a captain in the U. S. Air Force in World War II, he met Ace at a New Guinea airstrip.“ The puppy was very sick with distemper, but our squadron physician cured him,” he said.
“ When I wasn’ t flying combat missions, I was training Ace,” he said.“ He could follow either voice or hand signal commands.”
Perdue said the canine enjoyed flying, became a mascot to his squadron and accompanied him on missions over New Guinea, where they dropped paratroopers plus supplies to troops fighting in the jungles, and sometimes retrieved the wounded or dead.
" Ace was with me when I was assigned a mission to fly a large group of Army airport civil engineers to Japan to inspect conditions of usable airfields. Our C-46 aircraft was America’ s first aircraft to land in Tokyo following World War II,” Perdue said.
Then there were flights to Russia, China, Korea and the Philippines. Perdue and Ace flew more than 500 hours in the Southwest Pacific. At the end of the war, Perdue arranged for another long trip for Ace – to his parents in Alabama.
“ My father met Ace at the train station and took him home,” he said.“ My mother told me that Ace went straight to my bedroom and slept there until I returned shortly before Christmas 1945.”
After the war, Perdue was assigned to the Air Force ROTC
staff at Oklahoma A & M College, now OSU. There, Ace continued to fly in Air Force and civilian aircraft. He was an officially licensed“ War Dog” in the Air Force and wore a“ dog tag” on his collar, which placed his address at 1211 E. 4th Street in Stillwater.
Ace accumulated more than 1,000 hours of flight time, part of which was attained by accompanying Perdue to squadron reunions throughout the U. S. The dog died of a heart attack in October 1953 and was buried in an Army footlocker near the airport terminal building.
More than 50 years later, Perdue would not let the world forget Ace the War Dog.
In 2007, at the age of 85, the retired major fulfilled a promise, returned to Stillwater and was the special guest at a ceremony where a bronze plaque was presented in his and Ace’ s honor. It reads in part that the airport was“ a fitting resting place for a dog that refused to be grounded.”
“ There will be no more missions for Ace, in war or peace,” the plaque concludes,“ and for Major Perdue, there will always be something missing each time he goes up.”
Since the event, the plaque has been displayed at the airport, and it will be relocated to the new terminal, which is under construction and scheduled to be opened in the summer of 2026.
Airport Manager Kellie Reed said they are proud to retain the plaque in the new terminal.“ Ace is part of our history,” Reed said.“ Displaying it is important to our airport and our community.”
Perdue died in Alabama in 2015 at the age of 93, but a few years earlier, his life story was featured in a local newspaper.“ Lorren Perdue: The Story of a Remarkable Man and Record-Setting Pilot” described his childhood and family, his war days, his distinguished military career and his business achievements. And, of course, Perdue made sure the writer knew that his life story would not be complete without a tribute to one of his best friends, Ace the War Dog. SwOk
STORY BY: DALE INGRAM Stillwater Oklahoma Magazine
PHOTOS PROVIDED
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 17