A Hero for a Hero

I have a cousin named Brett. He's a Marine. He served in Iraq when he was young. Really young. (He's only 29 now.) And I don't think I'd be off-base to say he had to grow up fast.

All the stuff that you think about when you think of someone fighting in a war? He lived through that. He witnessed...well, what you and I would never want to. Now he's home, doing his best to live in the here-and-now, he has a precious family, and he's making it, day-by-day.

He made it home with minor physical injuries, but war takes a toll on you otherwise. He, along with so many others who have served in the military, deals with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). During the years since he has been back home, he (and his family) have struggled through many difficult moments and circumstances. One of the things that is helping to make a difference these days is a sweet companion named Eliza...she's a service dog, trained to help with PTSD symptoms, and personally matched with him. I read his Facebook updates, and I am so delighted to see what pictures and stories he posts about Eliza and himself each day. I can literally hear him smiling as I read. I can only imagine what it's like (and honestly, I don't think I could do that very well) to return from combat and have to live a regular old life, when you have just been through some of the most significant and life-impacting circumstances that one can experience. Having a stable, reliable friend like this Great Dane, Eliza, is making the days more manageable for him. I'm so grateful that he survived the fighting, and that he is surviving the living. 

This kind of therapy is relatively new, and (apparently) a bit controversial. There are several organizations which are passionate about raising and training service dogs for veterans, and I hope that they are able to continue their work. I'm throwing this out there because I bet many of you know of someone who has served in one of the branches of the armed services. Maybe knowing about this aspect of therapy might help someone you know. It seems to me that pursuing methods of treatment which do not wholly rely on drugs for those invisible wounds that soldiers come home with makes a lot of sense in the long run. I don't know what the future holds for these service dogs, but I can tell you that Brett loves his dog. She goes with him wherever he goes, and from what I can gather, she is his hero.

And he's one of mine. 

Comments

[Kara]

What a beautiful girl! I'm so glad this practice is becoming more common, our dog angels are so much better than drugs! I trained my last beagle as a therapy dog and we'd go into nursing homes together. It made such a difference for the residents who probably had to leave an animal friend behind when they moved in.