information:classification
Military

The pigeon was used in both World War I and World War II, notably by the Australian, French, German, American, and UK forces. They were also awarded for their service with various laurels throughout. On 2 December 1943, three pigeons – Winkie, Tyke, and White Vision, – serving with Britain's Royal Air Force, were awarded the first Dickin medal for rescuing an air force crew during World War II. Thirty-two pigeons have been decorated with the Dickin Medal, citing their "brave service" in war contributions, including Commando, G.I. Joe, Paddy, Royal Blue, and William of Orange.

Cher Ami, a homing pigeon in World War I, was awarded the Croix de Guerre Medal, by France, with a palm Oak Leaf Cluster for his service in Verdun. Despite having almost lost a leg and being shot in the chest, he managed to travel around 25 miles to deliver the message that saved 194 men of the Lost Battalion of the 77th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Argonne, in October 1918. When Cher Ami died, he was mounted and is part of the permanent exhibit at the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution.

A grand ceremony was held in Buckingham Palace to commemorate a platoon of pigeons that braved the battlefields of Normandy to deliver vital plans to Allied forces on the fringes of Germany. Three of the actual birds that received the medals are on show in the London Military Museum so that well-wishers can pay their respects. In Brussels, there is a monument commemorating pigeons that served in World War I, the Monument au Pigeon-Soldat.