John Toland comments on playful pups in combat zones

From “The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire” by John Toland:

“Throughout the long day of combat, dogs brought ashore by their Marine masters roamed the beach… a feisty fox terrier, contemptuous of the nerve-shattering explosions on all sides, romped with a live grenade, rolling it around, flinging it in the air. He carried it to a foxhole. scattering its occupants. He trotted after them, refusing orders to drop it. Finally he obeyed, but a s soon as a marine reached for the grenade he would playfully snatch it up again. They tempted him with food but he wanted to play. The men threw sticks to distract him; he wouldn’t abandon his new toy. Finally someone thought of ignoring him. After a few minutes the fox terrier abandoned the grenade; it was retrieved and the battle against the Japanese resumed.”