09/26/2026
In the early hours of December 4, 1966, dozens of enemy fighters slipped onto Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon and attacked with mortars and explosives. The first warning came from the base's sentry dogs. The attack was beaten back, but it cost the lives of 3 dogs and 1 handler, and some of the attackers were still hiding inside the base.
That night, a US Air Force sentry dog named Nemo went out on patrol with his handler, 22-year-old Airman Bob Throneburg, to hunt for them.
Near a graveyard on the base, Nemo alerted. Throneburg released him, and the hidden fighters opened fire.
In the first moments, Throneburg and Nemo took down 2 of the attackers. Then Throneburg was shot in the shoulder. And a bullet hit Nemo under his right eye and exited through his mouth.
What the wounded dog did next made him famous. Shot through the face, Nemo threw himself at the attackers again. The seconds he bought let Throneburg radio for help before he collapsed from his wounds. Then Nemo crawled to his unconscious handler and covered Throneburg's body with his own. When security forces reached them, the bleeding dog would not let anyone touch him. Airmen had to pull Nemo away before medics could treat the man he was guarding.
Both survived. Throneburg was evacuated by helicopter and recovered. He received 2 Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star with V for valor. While he was still in the hospital, Nemo was brought to see him.
Nemo's eye could not be saved. In 1967, the Air Force flew him home, and he became one of the first sentry dogs ever officially retired by the US military. He was given a permanent retirement kennel at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, home of the military's dog program, and spent his retirement as its ambassador, helping recruit the next generation of war dogs.
Nemo died at Lackland in December 1972. His memorial kennel and a stone in his honor still stand there today.
In the images: Nemo after recovering from his wound, and Throneburg, still in the hospital, seeing Nemo for the first time after the attack. Images courtesy of the Security Forces Museum.
