Pigeons have played an important role in the history of war. They are extremely talented military messengers because of their homing ability, speed, and flying altitude. A full article on famous war pigeons could be made, including the likes of Commando, Paddy, William of Orange, and Mary of Exeter, but I chose to focus on Cher Ami. Cher Ami (French for dear friend ) was a Black Check Cock homing pigeon that was trained by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I.