Statue Unveiled to Honor Brownie the War Dog

KING, WI- A life-size bronze statue of Brownie, a German shepherd mix who served as a World War II guard dog, now stands beside the commandant’s house at the Wisconsin Veterans Home overlooking Rainbow Lake. Brownie was donated to the war effort in 1943 by 11-year-old Oren Kendley of King, Wisconsin, and served in the Pacific until he was wounded in 1944. After returning home with a glass eye, he became a beloved mascot until his death in 1949—and was buried alongside veterans, the only non-human in a U.S. veterans cemetery. The statue, funded by proceeds from Kelly Nelson’s children’s book Brownie the War Dog, was unveiled this spring to honor his legacy.