Memorial to Calculator the Dog

Fort Benning, Georgia

Died 1923

"Calc" was an independent-minded mongrel who won the hearts of the military personnel at Fort Benning. Though he wasn't crippled, he would walk as if he had a bad leg when he wanted food.

The servicemen named him Calculator because "He puts down three and carries one."

Always the democratic vagabond, Calc would hitch rides into nearby Columbus with any military vehicle that passed. He is said to have enjoyed jumping on the post's narrow gauge railway that transported troops to and from the rifle ranges. Calculator would mooch a free meal from anyone; rank made no difference. He was especially fond of parades and always slept in the barracks with the enlisted men.

One day in 1923, the ever-hungry Calculator was fed a dose of strychnine. He was buried somewhere on post under a large rock; the monument has been moved several times since.

The plaque bolted to it reads:

CALCULATOR
BORN ?
DIED AUG. 29, 1923
HE MADE BETTER DOGS OF US ALL