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Ronda Messick Bumgardner

Tribune Media Services

Published: June 13, 2008

Q. I was watching the Disney movie Valiant and at the end of it, it said that some animals, horses, dogs, pigeons and a cat, had won a medal during World War II. Can you find out what those animals did to win the awards? - F.W.

A. The 2005 animated movie Valiant tells the story of a pigeon that becomes a hero in Great Britain's Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service during World War II.

It is true that in real life, many animals have been heroes during wartime, and some have been recognized with medals for their services.

The PDSA Dickin Medal was instituted during World War II by Maria Dickin, the founder of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, a veterinary charity in Britain. The medal "is awarded to animals displaying conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty while serving or associated with any branch of the Armed Forces or Civil Defense Units," according to the PDSA.

It is often referred to as the animals' equivalent of the Victoria Cross, the highest British award for gallantry "in the presence of the enemy."

Between 1943 and 1949, the Dickin medal was awarded to 32 pigeons, 18 dogs, three horses and one cat. SAM can't list the reasons for all the awards, but a few examples will give the idea:

- In 1943, the pigeon White Vision was honored "for delivering a message under exceptionally difficult conditions and so contributing to the rescue of an Air Crew." Most pigeons received awards for delivering vital messages in record time or under hazardous circumstances.

- In 1947, a German shepherd named Brian was recognized for his service with a parachute battalion. "He landed in Normandy with them and, having done the requisite number of jumps, became a fully-qualified Paratrooper." Several dogs were recognized for helping find victims trapped in air raids in London. And in 1946, Judy, a pointer, was recognized "For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners and also for saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness."

- In 1949, the cat Simon received the medal because he "Served on HMS Amethyst during the Yangtze Incident, disposing of many rats though wounded by shell blast. Throughout the incident his behaviour was of the highest order, although the blast was capable of making a hole over a foot in diameter in a steel plate."

A few Dickin Medals have been awarded since World War II, all to dogs. For example, in March 2002, a dog named Apollo with the New York Police Department received the medal "on behalf of all the Search and Rescue dogs at Ground Zero and the Pentagon after the terrorist attack on 11 September 2001."

A complete list of honorees is available online at www.pdsa.org.uk/dickinmedal.html

Q. I have some older shirts from the 1970s with a little green alligator on them that say "Izod" on the tag. I was recently given a similar newer shirt as a present with the same logo, but the tag says "Lacoste." How can two different companies have the same logo? - B.H.

A. Although Izod and Lacoste are two distinct companies, they did co-brand for a period of about 40 years, from 1952 to 1993, after Lacoste allowed Izod to manufacture and distribute polo shirts via a licensing agreement. That agreement ended because of a dispute over quality control and the location of manufacturing sites.

Both companies have origins in the early part of the 20th century.

An American businessman named Vin Draddy began Izod after he bought the rights to the name of a retiring tailor in London known as Jack Izod's, in order to begin a line of men's apparel.he first version of sports performance clothing.

He then founded La Chemise Lacoste in 1933 with Andre Gillier, who was the owner of a knitwear-manufacturing company.

After the agreement between the two companies in 1952, the popularity of the Izod Lacoste shirts left people calling the polos with the alligator logo on them by either or both names. It is still a common misconception that the famous alligator logo is an Izod trademark. It's actually a Lacoste symbol, which came about because Rene Lacoste was nicknamed "the Alligator."

Lacoste was re-introduced in 1996 without the association of Izod. Phillips-Van Heusen purchased Izod in 1995, and the apparel line is now advertised as a premium brand inside the PVH Corp.

Q. I recently attended a play about the Buddy Holly story, and would like to know what happened to his wife and the unborn child they were expecting at his death. - K.C.D.

A. Maria Elena Holly, the wife of rock 'n' roll pioneer Buddy Holly, had a miscarriage after her husband died in a plane crash in Iowa on Feb. 3, 1959. This date is commonly known as "The Day The Music Died", because the plane crash killed three popular American musicians: Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jiles Perry Richardson, commonly known as "The Big Bopper."

Maria later remarried, had three children and divorced. She currently lives in Texas.

She told The Dallas Morning News in 2006 that she did not speak publicly of Buddy for 20 years, but that her family persuaded her to share her memories. She said that although she can now talk of her life with Buddy, she still can't play his music.

He wrote the song "True Love Ways" for her as a promise of their future life together, according to the article. That title phrase appears in a line from the song "Maria Elena," released in 1989 by a New Jersey rock band, The Smithereens, as a tribute to her.

Maria, who married Buddy in 1958, has maintained, (through her legal counsel) that she owns the rights to her husband's name, image and other intellectual properties. Earlier this year, she threatened to sue the publisher of a book written by Peggy Sue Gerron about her friendship with Buddy, claiming that parts of it would tarnish his name and damage her reputation. Gerron, the "Peggy Sue" from Buddy's hit song, defended the accuracy of her book. It was published in January.

Q. Like many people, I have a cholesterol problem. Can you tell me where I can find a list of foods that are good and bad? This information would be of great benefit to many of us. - P.M.

A. A good place to start is the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's "Your Guide to Lowering Cholesterol With Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes," an 84-page booklet that contains a lot of information on foods to choose to help control cholesterol.

It offers information on what foods affect cholesterol and why, as well as sample menus, so you can get a good idea of how to adopt a beneficial style of eating.

For example, it may be surprising to learn that the amount of saturated fat in your diet - not the amount of cholesterol - is the biggest factor in raising cholesterol levels in your blood.

The booklet can be read or downloaded at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/ chol_tlc.htm. A print copy can be ordered online, too. Or you can call 301-592-8573 to request a NHLBI educational-materials catalog, so you can order by phone, fax or mail.

Searching for the answer to a question? Got a problem that needs solving? Send your questions to Straight Answers, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Or send e-mail to answers@wsjournal.com. Questions of general interest will be answered in this column. Personal replies are not possible.

Send your questions to Straight Answers, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Or send e-mail to answers@wsjournal.com.

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