Colorado Pet Cemetery’s Most Famous Grave is for a U.S. War Hero

You're probably familiar with numerous people who are considered to be Colorado celebrities, but what about celebrity pets? It turns out that a famous dog is not only from Colorado but is buried in a pet cemetery in Denver and is actually considered to be a decorated United States Sergeant.

The Tale of Colorado's Sergeant Geronimo

Before earning the title of Sergeant, Geronimo was a stray dog believed to be part German Shepard and part coyote. Upon being discovered and adopted by a paratrooper in the United States military named Kenneth Williams, Geronimo would join his human in the service.

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Williams trained Sergeant Geronimo to be a paratrooper, an activity that the dog thoroughly enjoyed, and he quickly became a K9 member of the 507th Paratroop Infantry Regiment.

In addition to parachuting with Williams for demolition work during the Second World War, Sgt. Geronimo also jumped out of planes for crowds, raising millions of dollars for the United States military in war bonds, and was featured in national publications including LIFE magazine.

During this time, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had this to say about the courageous dog:

Sometimes a dog can accomplish what humans can only dream of. Geronimo is an example of this.

Eventually, both Geronimo and Williams were honorably discharged from the military and the pair settled down in Denver, Colorado for roughly four years after the war ended.

However, tragedy would strike in 1947 when Geronimo escaped from his yard and was unfortunately killed by a car in a hit-and-run accident.

Sergeant Geronimo is buried in the Denver Pet Cemetery and Crematory at 5721 East 72nd Avenue in Commerce City where his grave is decorated with American flags and flowers, while the courageous dog's headstone reads the following:

Sergeant Geronimo

Jumping Mascot

507^th Parachute Infantry

1941 WWII 1947

Keep scrolling to check out the aforementioned pet cemetery and the final resting place of Colorado's famous parachuting war dog of WWII, Sergeant Geronimo: