When these forces splashed ashore on Kiska on August 15, a half dozen dogs rushed up to greet the advance elements. Ensign William C. Jones recognized one dog as Explosion, a mutt he had given to the ten-man Kiska weather team some fifteen months before. Somehow Explosion had survived the endless air and naval bombardments. The lonely dogs turned out to be the island’s only inhabitants. As the troops moved inland, it slowly became obvious that the Japanese were gone. There were booby traps that claimed casualties, and, regrettably, in the clouds and fog there were casualties from friendly
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