Cher Ami

• "Cher Ami" was a registered Black Check Cock carrier pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I.

• He delivered 12 important messages within the American sector at Verdun, France. On his last mission, "Cher Ami," was shot through the breast by enemy fire, but managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that also had been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines.

• "Cher Ami" is on display at the National Museum of American History, Behring Center, in the exhibition The Price of Freedom: Americans At War.

• Cher Ami is a homing pigeon which lived in a box.

• He was given a medal for his bravery