Philly of Philly

January 16, 2015 By Captain Maiel

Philly was a mixed breed who was adopted by the military…erm, recruited by the United States Military, to stand with the boys of Company A of the 315 Infantry, 79th Division. She was so aptly named because of the hometown of the men who loved her. When it came time to ship out, the boys, afraid to leave her behind and have her abandoned, decided to make Miss Philly a stowaway. She endured the sea voyage to France and stood by them through every battle until Armistice Day. Philly was 8 weeks old when they brought her into the ranks and carried the rank of Private. She soon became worth 50 Deutschmarks to the enemy, because Philly could warn her boys about sneak attacks, and saved them repeatedly, foiling the German advance.

During her service, Philly was wounded and even gassed. The men made her purple hearts for her valor. She wore a blue regimental mantle in parades, and bears one still at the museum in which she’s been ‘interred’ and kept as the 315th’s mascot since her service and their disbanding in 1995. Philly died at the ripe age of 15. Respects can be paid at the Atwater Kent Museum, 15 S. 7th St. in Philadelphia, PA.

Heroic War Dog Still Stands Guard Museum Hails WWI Mascot – Philly.com

Philly, 1917 – 1932, Company A of the 315 Infantry, 79th Division

Philly was also featured on The Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum.

About Captain Maiel

Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, K has enjoyed more than twenty years professionally writing. K attended Morrisville State College, majoring in Biology, and then continued with English and History at the University at Albany, where she gained her Bachelor’s Degree. While attending UA, K interned with the 13th Moon Feminist Literary Magazine, bridging her interests in social movements and art. Topics of K's writing often include gender and racial disparities, and trauma. In 2014, K graduated from Empire State College (SUNY) with a Masters in Liberal Studies: screenwriting (Film Studies), the politics of film, and adaptations. During her gradute work, K was the recipient of the Foner Fellowship in Arts and Social Justice, a full scholarship.
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Published novels by K include the Civil War drama Blue Honor, the Second World War spy thriller OP-DEC:Operation Deceit, and the controversial dark fantasy, paranormal series The Trailokya Trilogy. In addition to writing novels, K does screenwriting: 8 Days in Ireland and the adaptations of her current novels. A sequel to her second novel, OP-DEC, is in the research phase, while the screen adaptation is being considered for production by film companies.
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In 2015, K. Williams became an official member of International Thriller Writers, but her greatest accomplishment thus far was becoming a mother in 2017. K continues to produce commentary and art pieces on The Blue Honor Blog, publishing twice weekly. A devoted dog mom, K created Shagbottom Theater in which her dogs star as well known literary and stage personas. K is also a visual artist, producing the ZoDuck Cartoon, painting and sketching--digitally or traditionally, as well as an accomplished Photographer. Click here to see more! Whether it's cooking, IVF and Parenting, learning a foreign language, history or dogs, you'll find something to enjoy and for which to come back.
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Excerpts of K's unedited, rough drafts and other scraps of writing can be found at: KWilliamsAuthor on deviantArt.com. You can also sample her books on Wattpad.