Back                            Figmo

Story by John Brady
(F-80 pilot with the 36th FBS, 1952-1953)

A sergeant at K-13 (Suwon) had a pet dog that gave birth to a litter of puppies. He was about to leave and needed to find homes for the puppies. I took the runt of the litter home to the Victor Flight Quonset hut. I didn't know exactly what to do, but several base nurses close by helped me to start weaning the pup. Using some supplies the nurses gave me, we fed him powdered milk from a punctured condom. He squealed and barked at night, but we all put up with it.

I was close to being FIGMO (Forget it, I've Got My Orders) at the time, so we decided to name the puppy, Figmo. He was off to a good start. I rotated back to the states in March 1953. The Victor Flight troops must have taken good care of him, because Figmo won a loving cup in a dog show competition. This event and Figmo’s picture with the trainer was written up in the Stars and Stripes. When Vic Hodges was repatriated at Freedom Village in early September 1953, Lt. Col. Ruby and Figmo were there to greet him. After the war, when the squadron moved to Itazuke, Figmo went with them.

Figmo and Lt. Col. Ruby greet Vic Hodges after the armistice.