Where did you serve and what did you do?

I served as a veterinarian in USAR, leaving as a MAJ at 68 years of age when my ten year age waiver expired. I provided miliatry working dog medicine, trained MEDEVAC and Role II personnel in Canine Combat Casualty Care in Afganistan and Qatar, did military civilian engagements with force protection assets in Djibouti and with SOF in CAR, DRC and South Sudan, and humanitarian missions in Belize, Guatemala, and above the Arctic Circle.

Tell us how your dog is helping you continue Still Serving in your community.

Autumn is an 16 month old female Bernese mountain dog. She helps me with my PTSD. In addition, she is an AKC certified therapy dog and contributes therapy work weekly at the local YMCA with children and adults, visits the Cottismore Care Facility that cares for the elderly, and helps challenged third grade readers. The children lay in a big floofy bed with Autumn and read better to her than to adults because she is non-judgemental.

Why do you do it?

The therapy work, operated by my lovely wife Sally, is, like my military service, a way to pay back for the life we have because of the country in which we live.