If you heard the sermon, “The Oddball” over the weekend, then you heard Brother Branham tell the story of the brave pigeon. This little warrior is no legend; he was a decorated soldier for the United States Army who saved the lives of two hundred US solders.

During World War I, messages were sometimes transmitted by wire (telegraph or field phone), but two-way radio communications had not yet become available. Sometimes a unit was ordered to attack over broad and difficult terrain, making it impossible to string the wire necessary for communications. In these situations, a field commander often carried with him several carrier pigeons.

When the United States entered the World War I in 1917, the Army Signal Corps was given 600 pigeons for the purpose of passing messages when signal flags or a field phone couldn’t do it. The pigeons were donated by bird breeders in Great Britain, and then were trained by American soldiers.

When a commander in the field needed to send a message, he first wrote it out on paper. Then he called for one of his Signal Corps officers, who would bring one of the pigeons that went with the soldiers into battle. The message would be put in a capsule on the bird’s leg, and then the bird would be tossed high in the air to fly home.

The carrier pigeon would fly back to his home coop behind the lines. When he landed, the wires in the coop would sound a bell or buzzer, and another soldier of the Signal Corps would know a message had arrived. He would go to the coop, remove the message from the canister, and then send it by telegraph, field phone, or personal messenger, to the right persons.

Carrier pigeons did an important and dangerous job. If the enemy soldiers were nearby when a pigeon was released, they knew the bird would be carrying important messages, and tried their best to shoot the pigeon down so the message couldn't be delivered.

On October 2, 1918, Major Whittlesey led more than 500 men in an attack that broke through the enemy lines. Major Whittlesey had his men set up defensive positions in a pocket in the forest, just above a small creek that had been the objective of their advance. He didn’t know that his battalion was the only one that had broken through the lines. That night German soldiers crept in and surrounded the pocket. All alone, ahead of all the other friendly units, Major Whittlesey’s battalion was alone, surrounded, and already running low on food, ammunition, and even soldiers just from the fight to get into the forest.

Two days later, American artillerymen tried to send some protection. Germans were now attacking the lost battalion with machineguns, rifles, and grenades. The big guns fired hundreds of shells into the ravine where the Germans had surrounded the battalion. Unfortunately, the American commanders didn’t know exactly where the American soldiers were, and started dropping the big shells right on top of them. It was a horrible situation that might have resulted in Major Whittlesey and all his men getting killed by their own army.

Salvation would come from a most unlikely source: a pigeon named Cher Ami, French words meaning "Dear Friend." Cher Ami spent several months on the front lines, and had already flown 11 important missions. His 12th and last mission was the message he carried on October 4, 1918 to save Major Whittlesey and his battalion of wounded and starving soldiers.

Under a barrage of artillery on October 4th, Major Whittlesey called for his last pigeon, Cher Ami. He wrote a quick and simple note, telling the men who directed the artillery guns where his battalion was located and asked them to stop. The note put in the canister on Cher Ami's left leg simply said: "We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven's sake, stop it."

As Cher Ami tried to fly back home, the Germans saw him rising out of the brush and opened fire. For several minutes, bullets zipped through the air all around him. It looked at first like the little pigeon was going to fall. The doomed American infantrymen were crushed; their last hope was plummeting to earth against a heavy attack from German bullets. Somehow Cher Ami managed to spread his wings and start climbing again, higher and higher, beyond the range of the enemy guns. He flew 25 miles in only 25 minutes to deliver his message. A short time later the shelling stopped, and reinforcements were sent in. More than 200 American lives were saved.

On this last commission, Cher Ami was badly wounded. When he finally reached his coop, he could fly no longer. The solder that answered the sound of the bell found the little bird lying on his back, covered in blood. He had been blinded in one eye, and the bullet had hit his breastbone, making a hole the size of a quarter. From that awful hole, hanging by just a few tendons, was the almost severed leg of the brave little bird. Attached to that leg was a silver canister, with the all-important message. Once again, Cher Ami wouldn’t quit until he had finished his job.

Major Whittlesey’s men had gone for days without food, water, or bandages for the wounded. On the fourth day, Army planes tried to fly over the lost battalion to drop in supplies. It was the first air drop in U.S. Army history.

Despite the heavy enemy fire, the brave airmen wouldn’t give up. They flew as low as they could to try and find the lost battalion. Sadly, their airplanes were shot down and the pilots were killed.

After five days, the lost battalion was found and rescued. The tired men who hadn’t eaten for more than 100 hours, marched happily out of the forest. They survived because a little bird named Cher Ami had taught them that no matter how bad things get, you can never give up.

For his heroic leadership, Major Whittlesey was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award that can be given to any soldier. But it was Cher Ami that was the big hero of the 77th Infantry Division. When the French soldiers heard about Cher Ami’s bravery, they gave him one of their greatest honors: a medal called the French Croix De Guerre with a palm leaf.

Medics worked hard to patch up the brave little pigeon, but they could not save his leg. Major Whittlesey and his men took care of the little bird that had saved 200 of their friends and even carved a small wooden leg for him. When Cher Ami was well enough to travel, he was put on a boat to the United States. The commander of all the United States Army, General John J. Pershing, personally saw Cher Ami off as he departed France.

After the war, an author named Harry Webb Farrington put together a book of poems and short stories about the men and heroes of World War I. That book contained this poem about our famous little friend:

Cher Ami died of his multiple war wounds on June 13, 1919, less than a year after he had completed his service to the United States Army Signal Corps. Upon his death a taxidermist preserved the small pigeon for future generations, a bird with a story that became an inspiration to millions over the years.

Today, visitors to the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. can still see Cher Ami, preserved for history. Alongside the French Croix de Guerre with palm that was awarded to him by the French government, you can also see the small silver capsule that carried the all-important message from Major Whittlesey.

The prophet thought it was important for us to know the story of the brave little pigeon, and he will forever have a special place in the hearts of the Bride of Christ.

(Much of this story of the brave pigeon was taken from a children’s book by Doug and Pam Sterner, titled, “Cher Ami and the Lost Battalion of World War I”, Home Of Heroes, 2001)