Nearly 17 U.S. Veterans take their own lives each day. A staggering and heart-breaking number.
But a local group is pairing service members with service dogs. And both are getting the lifeline they need. Amanda Crawford has the story.
When missiles were fired over Iraq in the Gulf War Joe Keegan was there, serving as an army infantry soldier.
"You know live in a foxhole. You go from place to place. Sometimes you're walking; sometimes you're carried by a truck," Joe said.
The violence Joe saw is difficult to discuss.
"When you get word you're actually going in, they give you the briefing and tell you the casualty report…" Joe said.
He was just 19 years old.
"At that age, to see what people are capable of doing to each other. That was, I don't even have words for it. It's just like, head-blowing, mind-blowing to see the carnage and destruction," Joe said.
Back in Massachusetts, Joe later struggled with PTSD and needed help.
"Just falling apart and not knowing why you had these feelings of grief. It was like the death of a loved one every day. It became basically a sense of hopelessness," Joe said.
More than a thousand miles away, in an Oklahoma animal shelter, Muppet needed help too.
Operation Delta Dog came to their rescue.
The New Hampshire nonprofit takes in shelter dogs and trains them to be service animals for veterans.
"I thought we should put these two things together, like, find the great dogs that need homes, find the veterans that need help," Trisha Blanchet, the founder of Operation Delta Dog said.
Trisha started the group 10 years ago after hearing the heartbreaking number of veterans who die by suicide.
"They had sacrificed so much for us as a nation. I just felt it was really important to give back to them for what they had given to us," Trisha said.
Vets help train the dogs to perform tasks like opening automatic doors and picking objects up off the floor.
Muppet is trained to comfort Joe when something triggers his PTSD.
"She's able to sense it often and come up and just put her head on my lap. It just kind of snaps you back to the present moment," Joe said.
Operation Delta Dog has now paired dozens of dogs with veterans.
"I don't think it's an exaggeration that we are saving lives. So many of our veterans tell us that we were their last call," Charlotte Troddyn, the executive director of Operation Delta Dog said.
Once the dogs and their veterans graduate from training, their next mission is to build a life together.
Joe says with Operation Delta Dog's help, he and Muppet rescued one another.
"There's no doubt," Joe said. "It's been incredible to be able to get out of the house and take an uncomfortable situation and make it completely bearable or enjoyable. It's been, it's been truly a blessing. And I'm very grateful for that."
Some of the dogs who don't quite make the cut as service animals are available for adoption. If you'd like to find out about those dogs and learn more information about the organization, click here for more information about Operation Delta Dog.
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But a local group is pairing service members with service dogs. And both are getting the lifeline they need. Amanda Crawford has the story.
When missiles were fired over Iraq in the Gulf War Joe Keegan was there, serving as an army infantry soldier.
"You know live in a foxhole. You go from place to place. Sometimes you're walking; sometimes you're carried by a truck," Joe said.
The violence Joe saw is difficult to discuss.
"When you get word you're actually going in, they give you the briefing and tell you the casualty report…" Joe said.
He was just 19 years old.
"At that age, to see what people are capable of doing to each other. That was, I don't even have words for it. It's just like, head-blowing, mind-blowing to see the carnage and destruction," Joe said.
Back in Massachusetts, Joe later struggled with PTSD and needed help.
"Just falling apart and not knowing why you had these feelings of grief. It was like the death of a loved one every day. It became basically a sense of hopelessness," Joe said.
More than a thousand miles away, in an Oklahoma animal shelter, Muppet needed help too.
Operation Delta Dog came to their rescue.
The New Hampshire nonprofit takes in shelter dogs and trains them to be service animals for veterans.
"I thought we should put these two things together, like, find the great dogs that need homes, find the veterans that need help," Trisha Blanchet, the founder of Operation Delta Dog said.
Trisha started the group 10 years ago after hearing the heartbreaking number of veterans who die by suicide.
"They had sacrificed so much for us as a nation. I just felt it was really important to give back to them for what they had given to us," Trisha said.
Vets help train the dogs to perform tasks like opening automatic doors and picking objects up off the floor.
Muppet is trained to comfort Joe when something triggers his PTSD.
"She's able to sense it often and come up and just put her head on my lap. It just kind of snaps you back to the present moment," Joe said.
Operation Delta Dog has now paired dozens of dogs with veterans.
"I don't think it's an exaggeration that we are saving lives. So many of our veterans tell us that we were their last call," Charlotte Troddyn, the executive director of Operation Delta Dog said.
Once the dogs and their veterans graduate from training, their next mission is to build a life together.
Joe says with Operation Delta Dog's help, he and Muppet rescued one another.
"There's no doubt," Joe said. "It's been incredible to be able to get out of the house and take an uncomfortable situation and make it completely bearable or enjoyable. It's been, it's been truly a blessing. And I'm very grateful for that."
Some of the dogs who don't quite make the cut as service animals are available for adoption. If you'd like to find out about those dogs and learn more information about the organization, click here for more information about Operation Delta Dog.
Operation Delta Dog: Local group pairs service members with service dogs
Nearly 17 U.S. Veterans take their own lives each day. A staggering and heart-breaking number.But a local group is pairing service members with service dogs....
whdh.com
