EOTO Form of Communication Response

    THE CARRIER PIGEON

    I wish I knew who invented pigeons, but that's an answer I know I don't have. I can tell you who invented carrier pigeons, though. Carrier pigeons were invented (first introduced) by the Egyptians under Pharaoh Akhenaten, in 1350 BC. They were used as an advanced flood warning system. Apart from the constant risk of invasion from other civilizations, flooding of river-based societies was the biggest issue. Societies relied on the river to produce hydration to keep their crops growing; allowing their people to stay fed, and make money. Fixing this flood problem was vital in keeping entire cities from being destroyed. Egypt was a step above the rest in this area due to their ability to adapt to the annual flooding, instead of letting it ruin them; which is a main reason for their wealth, power, and prosperity. Egypt was not the only civilization to maximize the secret talent of pigeons before Christ. In 776 BC, during the first ever Olympic Games, carrier pigeons were utilized. Each athlete brought his own personal pigeon, after a victory, he would send it home to deliver the good news. This sounds like a more positive message than “save your family the Nile is flooding!” 

    It is safe to say that the two world wars dramatically shaped our planet. It is also no secret that carrier pigeons played an important role in the war, being a necessity of communication for both ally and axis powers. They changed the wars due to their insane reliability, with upwards of 95% success rates in delivering urgent information. They were sometimes the lone means of communication between command posts and advancing forces; especially, when radio communication was unavailable or destroyed, exemplifying their great importance. Heroic pigeons, like Cher Ami of the American Forces, saved hundreds of lives by bailing out trapped troops with a clutch last-minute message for backup. Cher Ami delivered his note despite being shot in the chest, blinded in one eye, and losing a leg. Ami is only one example of many, where a pigeon saved the day on the battlefield by doing the job that no man could accomplish. Pigeons solved a plethora of problems, but doing a job no human could do is at the top of the list. They changed wartime communication forever, while also emphasizing the glaring need to create more efficient and reliable means of communication for future war efforts. Thankfully, new modes have since been created and utilized by those at war. I'm sure Seal Team Six was grateful to not have to send a pigeon back to base when their Stealth Black Hawk Helicopter crash landed into the wall of Osama Bin Laden’s compound during operation Neptune Spear. 

Cher Ami

    Due to the carrier pigeons' success alerting civilizations of disaster, excellent rate of achievement at battle, heroic tendencies in the face of danger, a proven track record having saved hundreds at war, and trailblazing new forms of wartime communication, I cannot say there was a single negative regarding these pigeons during their time being used. Nowadays, in retirement, these pigeons mainly just flock the busy sidewalks of big cities and drop surprises on unsuspecting victims; but, after what they did for us in wartime, we should be a little more appreciative of them.