‘I’ve Always Felt a Sense of Duty’

Veteran Emily Simmons is Still Serving her Marietta, Georgia, community as a member of VFW Post 2681. She is pursuing a dual master’s degree in healthcare administration and business administration. Her German Shepherd, Athena, helps her continue pushing herself and serving others even though her military career is over.

Simmons enlisted when she was 18 years old and served for 20 years. She deployed twice to Qatar after 9/11 to support Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as to Saudi Arabia and to the United Arab Emirates for Operation Desert Storm.

Simmons retired from the military after she lost her son. She adopted Athena from the Cobb County Animal Shelter to help her recover from his loss. The nonprofit Pets for Vets is training Athena to become a service dog to help Simmons manage her anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress (PTS).

“I’ve always felt a sense of duty,” Simmons said. “Today, Athena is helping me continue doing something important to me: serve others.”