A German shepherd named Chips was donated to the war effort by his owners shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He became a tank guard dog and eventually the most decorated dog of World War II. Several times he alerted his handler to an impending attack. Once he attacked a pillbox of Italian soldiers who were firing on his unit until they came out and were captured. Chips was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart, but the awards were rescinded later when the Commander of the Order of the Purple Heart complained that the awards were demeaning to human soldiers. This marked the end of the practice of awarding medals to military dogs.