WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN

"Give me all the money you want.  It won't match what my dog gives me."

"I guess I didn't get hurt for nothing.  People really do care."

My question is - "Is anybody listening?" Our injured Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and Navy are sending signals in every way possible to tell us that a dog is helping them with their PTSD symptoms.  They are telling us that the quality of their lives is improved to a very great degree with a dog by their sides. 

It has been a long slow process from Florence Nightengale discovering that caged birds brought great comfort to her patients, to pets being adopted by troops overseas in WW I, WW II, Korea, Vietnam and the Balkans, to two selected and trained therapy dogs being attached to combat stress units in Tikrit and Mosul, where they are a vital part of the medical team that assists troops struggling with stress, sleep disorders and ‘event-related trauma.’ This is the first time in the history of the military that therapy dogs have been sent to a war zone. It only makes sense that therapy dogs are being introduced to wounded warriors returning with a myriad of injuries, many unseen.

Penny’s From Heaven Foundation’s therapy dogs have found a niche that most therapy dogs haven’t, the world of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) for wounded warriors. The dog is a modality to break the ice, to lighten the mood, to open the heart once again for heroes who were trained to kill and to witness things no one should be expected to witness. These dogs also break down the stigma and negative aspects of mental health issues, as they serve as a reminder of home, and a simpler time.

These therapy dogs, working with wounded warriors, are trained  basic, intermediate and advanced obedience. They are trained to work despite loud noises and distractions and they are trained not to socialize with people who may be afraid or disinterested. It is no surprise that therapy dogs help reduce stress and anxiety and increase the feeling of safety. But the use of therapy dogs has yet to be fully understood or utilized to any great degree, when it comes to treating depression. Sure we all have depressed days, but the depression that comes home with a wounded warrior is life altering. These special dogs with their simple gift of presence, offer acceptance no matter what the injury might be. They don’t care what the wounded warrior looks like, if he has severe burns all over his body, or if he is missing a limb or multiple limbs, or if he has short term memory loss and can’t remember how to tie his shoes. These dogs are simply there - to listen, to snuggle, and for a time to help these heroes forget their nightmares.

Today therapy dogs with their calm, patient and quiet demeanor provide a safety net of support and comfort. Through recognition, education, acceptance, treatment and support, Penny’s From Heaven Foundation is promoting the use of trained therapy dogs with those suffering from PTSD and TBI. Kelsie, Gracie and other PTSD Support Dogs provide specific tasks for 'their' soldiers such as being able to snuggle and kiss something that isn’t a threat. The dogs alert the person to the presence of other people. The dogs assess the surroundings simply by shifting their focus and attention by moving their eyes. They provide a necessary tactile stimulation by distracting the person from his/her anxiety. My little blind therapy dog, Gracie, has gotten into the trenches and changed the lives of our wounded heroes one at a time at Brooke Army Medical Center’s Fisher Houses, Warrior Family Support Center, Lackland AFB Fisher House, the Marine Annex and the Barracks. From group therapy sessions with the soldiers, to standing beside them as they pray, or as they sing the National Anthem with one hand over their heart and one on Gracie’s head; to Gracie lying on their laps, as they try to forget the horrors of war for one moment; to having a wounded soldier pin his most cherished possession, his Combat Infantryman Badge, on Gracie’s therapy vest because he loved her that much; to Gracie gently nuzzling the hole in a helmet made by a bullet that had taken forty percent of a soldier’s brain, as he wept in her presence and simply said “Gracie understands.” When a warrior cradles Gracie in his arms like a baby and cries unashamedly into her fur upon learning of the loss of one of his buddies in Iraq, it becomes easy to see that this little dog was born with a purpose and why the soldiers call her their ‘angel.’






The amputees, the burn survivors, the traumatic brain injured wounded warriors have found a comrade in arms in this little unexpected ‘soldier’s angel.’ Their individual stories are heartwarming, poignant, inspiring, and life altering. Gracie works her way into the hearts of not only the wounded warriors, but their mothers, fathers, wives, and children and makes their troubles a little lighter. She salutes them by bowing her head, as they quietly rest their foreheads and burdens on hers. Their attitude is one of gratitude simply for her gift of presence. Gracie does not judge or shy away from the wounded. Providing the best possible medicine, she loves unconditionally and accepts them as they are. And in the end Gracie and her gift of presence teaches us all that those struggling to heal are defined by the same things we all are, our family, our friends and our faith.


Gracie and our other therapy dogs working with the wounded warriors quite simply break down the barriers. Another lesson of huge proportions learned from a little dog. To Gracie, 'her' soldiers are just new friends whose appearances simply are not important.

I was, and will always be, filled with wonder at what a member of another species teaches us about unconditional love and the interconnectedness of all living things on this earth. To paraphrase one of my favorite authors, Antoine de Saint Exupery, “Here is my secret. It is very simple. The essential things in life are seen not with the eyes, but with the heart.”

I reflect back to Gracie and Kelsie and how even if a soldier gives up on themselves, these dogs never give up on them.

Another mystery of the heart perhaps.

CRACKS IN THE ARMOR

Cracks in the armor! We all have them.  We all fight against them.  And sometimes the fight seems endless and all consuming, and, yes, sometimes hopeless. 

The written words of a soldier with multiple physical problems resulting from war, as well as acute PTSD, constantly ring in my head.  "I'm going out of my mind. Nothing seems to be making any sense. I'm all alone and no one to lean on. I want out!  I want out! Do you hear me screaming? This mess I can't deal with anymore and it echos deep within my soul. Tomorrow, I won't remember a thing and my mind is trying, but nothing is coming....."

This is the sound of PTSD.  It is here you see the rough edges of life after war. 

We're all pretty much scared all the time.  There is no shame in that.  But when we're laughing on the outside and dying on the inside we need to be rescued.  Sometimes our rescuer is a dog.  A dog that will give us the confidence and courage and ability to face the future. A dog that somehow just slipped in and made us open our hearts when no one else could.

Wounded warriors with PTSD often find comfort in isolation.  A PTSD Support Dog in essence becomes a band aid for loneliness.  The dog, whose mission it is to help, has to be fed, walked, and attended to.  More importantly this dog needs love and gives love.  With a dog, the warrior with PTSD finds a secret comfort and a private peace.  Sometimes a dog's head on a warrior's knee can heal many human hurts.

One soldier said, "The fight doesn't stop when you get home.  It just begins."  One statistic is that one third of the wounded are coming back with PTSD/TBI.  Some are getting by with a little help from their friends.  Some are literally being saved by them.  The fear and anxiety producing results of war keep our warriors denying their emotions and ultimately denying reality.  Their journey toward recovery is one step at a time.  These small steps are easier with a nonjudgmental friend by their sides.

Gracie and 'her' favorite soldier, Michael,  fell in love at first sight.  Their bond is deep.  So much so that one of Michael's goals is to get a dog of his own and train it to be a therapy dog to help other soldiers, as Gracie has helped him. 

Sometimes the pain of this reaction to a traumatic experience has no name.  But a dog doesn't know what PTSD is and doesn't care. They love unconditionally.  "It's no trick loving somebody at their best.  Love is loving them at their worst."  PTSD Support Dogs love our wounded warriors at their worst. Tom Stoddard hit the nail on the head when he said this.  "We are all survivors of one sort of another and the reason we are on this earth is to help ease the pain of others.  And in so doing we help ourselves." 

The dogs are the catalysts to helping heal the cracks in the armor of our wounded warriors and placing flashlights in places where they can find them, as they enter a new world that once was called home.  But they don't have to be its prisoners. 

These are not just a war stories, but  lessons in character, patriotism and devoted love to their country and to a relationship with a dog - a relationship that is defined by trust and sustained through grief, loss and change.

"Pain is inevitable - but suffering optional."

M. Scott Pick - The Road Less Traveled

With luck and alot of work, the wounded warrior comes to realize that perhaps strtength doesn't reside in having never been broken, but in the courage required to grow strong in the broken places.

"Thinking is not the enemy - overthinking is."  Julia Cameron

WALKING THROUGH FIRE

GOD BLESS AMERICA - AT ALL TIMES - IN ALL PLACES

 

What have you done for freedom today?  We all have things to do, people to see. We are busy.  We work, we travel, we take a rest.  But how often do we think of our warriors who will, and have, and are walking through fire for us and this great country.  Some of our greatest citizens routinely make the ultimate sacrifice for America and its people.  For us they go into the worse conditions, at the worse time, and make the biggest difference.  Throughout history our young men and women have gone and done the unpopular, the impossible and the unachievable. Only to return home and ready themselves to do it again.

Our Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Soldiers are there for us.  They come home and many need help.  One  Penny's From Heaven Foundation Therapy and PTSD Support Dog and his 'dad,' Iraq war veteran Troy Yocum, are spending sixteen months hiking seven thousand miles across this great country to bring awareness and financial assistance to the plight of many of our warriors returning home. With Emmie, his Penny's From Heaven Foundation Therapy and PTSD Support Dog, by his side, he took the first step of his sixteen month quest on April 17, 2010.

Families fighting the homefront are not fighting alone. They have Emmie - a warrior's best friend. Emerson Elaine Eskridge, the Superdog, was born in Louisville, KY on June 19th, 2007. She is the smallest of the six original and distinct breeds of dog from Japan called Shiba Inu (柴犬).

She is a small, agile dog, with an abundance of energy, that copes very well with mountainous terrain and trails. Her safety is a main concern from the crew, during very hots days. If temperatures rise, then Emmie takes it nice and easy by riding in the RV that follows SPC Yocum. Of course she can't stand this. She always wants to be out front to lead the hike. Some think that she was born for the purpose of hiking across America.  Just perhaps she was also born to bring awareness and to promote the benefits of PTSD Support Dogs for our returning warriors with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Our soldiers are ready at a moments notice. They don't pick their battles, but when called to service they respond. Keeping our enemies at bay, our heroes are champions of freedom, not eager for war, but willing to sacrifice. One for the need of many. Many veterans live by this military code and have done so when our country needed it the most.

While one soldier may miss holidays, a birthday, or a birth of a child, others may suffer mentally and develop anxiety, depression or PTSD. Some also sacrifice by being injured by road side bombs, being shot or taking shrapnel. Some pay the ultimate price.

We ask a lot of our men and women in uniform. Who can they call on in their time of strife? Our American Heroes are fighting just as hard at home as they do overseas. Troy and Emmie are literally putting one foot in front of the other, crossing America to reach people and help spread the importance of helping our military families, one step at a time.

THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER

They go into the worst conditions, at the worst time, and make the biggest difference. They are our Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Soldiers.  They will continue, and they will succeed.  For them there is no option. While they are fighting, there is also an unseen group of family members and friends that wait, worry, cry and cheer when, in one of those moments of grace that life gives us, they return. These are the pillars of strength behind our warriors. 

"They also serve who only stand and wait." ~John Milton 

Army wives join the military.  They are not commissioned, nor do they enlist.  When they say "I do" they most likely don't realize how much they really will be doing. Anniversaries are missed, births of children, and holidays.  They wait, struggling with  keeping a marriage alive and combating loneliness.  Military wives support and encourage each other, like other female friends can't quite grasp.  These are lifelong relationships that often last longer than some marriages.

On weekends, wounded warriors, who have spent the week in therapy sessions or awaiting doctor appointments, sleep late.  The wives gather in the living room or kitchen or on the patio of the Fisher House at BAMC.  Some are in their pajamas and the kids are in strollers, or playing in the courtyard in the shadow of the Center for the Intrepid.  The soldiers have told me repeatedly that having a therapy dog visit, makes them happy.  Not just because they enjoy them, but because it brings a little bit of home to their children, some of whom have been removed from the only home they ever knew.  Like any child they ask mom and dad for a pet, but obviously that isn't realistic.  So for a little while a therapy dog offers a sense of normalcy to some extraordinary children.

Most all of the kids love the dogs.  They form circles around them, squat and reach out their arms to pet her.  Seldom do they have to be reminded to give 'gentle touches.'  They seem to know.  They also take pride in sharing with their friends and encouraging them and supporting them, very much like their mothers support each other.  They are kind and courteous.  They have been subjected to things other children haven't, nor ever will be.  Their lives too will never be the same.  They, like their mothers, have had to grow up; all too fast.

With flags, we honor freedom in our yards and in our homes and even in our wardrobe.  But I wonder, do we acknowledge, appreciate, or recognize the wives and children of our deployed military and their commitment and their staggering grace.

LOVING THEM BACK INTO WHOLENESS

They served because we asked them to.  They served because they wanted to.  They come back because it is their time.  But often a friend has to be left behind.

Conversations of great significance are often held with this friend.  Frightening and lonely moments, far from family and friends, are shared. MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) are sacrificed so the dog will not go hungry. Each being there for the other. No matter what!

Our warriors leave the life they knew, hoping that they will make a difference, because it is the right thing to do.  War becomes the new normal to them.  Home is somewhere far away.  To find a friend who needs you as much as you need him is a gift in the scorching heat and sand of the desert. Often this gift is frowned upon and considered a health risk and a distraction.  And all too often the results are not pretty.

But then there are times when a stray dog jumps into a warrior's life full throttle - a warrior who unwaveringly has gone into harm's way.  Some in authority turn their heads, because perhaps the presence of these creatures also in some way comforts them. 

Suddenly, without even realizing it, there is a bond, a history, a relationship, and a commitment. For many the dogs protect the soldiers sanity. As beautifully stated in From Baghdad, With Love, "When you spent your entire career on the fringes of violence, the dogs helped remind you that you were still human."

These dogs are making a difference to our fighting men and women. When the day is done and survived, their best friend is there waiting.   There are organizations stateside helping them to bring a few of these dogs home.  But it is costly in both time and money. 

How can you put a price tag on a friend?

"But he keeps licking and squirming and wiggling around...I liked the way he felt in my hands...I liked not caring about getting home or staying alive or feeling warped...just him wiggling around in my hands, wiping all the grime off my face."

From Baghdad, With Love

~Jay Kopelman

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Please help us help!

TRAIN A DOG - SAVE A WARRIOR PROGRAM

Your TAX DEDUCTIBLE contribution of any size is appreciated and will go directly to helping the warriors in need of a PTSD Support Dog.

PENNY'S FROM HEAVEN FOUNDATION, INC.

13423 BLANCO ROAD SUITE 218

SAN ANTONIO, TX 78216

BATTLE BUDDIES

One very early morning, I received a phone call. The voice at the other end was trembling, as a  man whispered, "I need help."

This American soldier, living in a cabin in the woods in Pennsylvania, needed help getting his little dog, his "lifeline, his battle buddy," certified to be his service dog for severe PTSD. I spoke with him for an hour and gave him what information I could to assist.

I encouraged him, I listened to him, and to a great degree I understood him.

He had been deployed three times, was awarded two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, and acute PTSD. Today and everyday, he is unable to leave the protection and isolation of the woods. He had gone into isolation to hide, to heal. Whether he knew it or not, he was taking the first step to saving his own life. Staying in his 'bunker' would lead to more depression, and ultimately, he might not be able to get out by himself. He had tiptoed out just long enough to ask for help. And all because of the love of a little dog. 

This twenty pound dog affords him the courage to go into public, to be visible to the world, to not crawl back into his 'bunker' alone. The only thing he was asking for, after all he sacrificed, was to be able to take his 'battle buddy' into places like Walmart to make him feel safe. Safe from the demons, terrors, flashbacks, and mental 'replays' in which he sees, hears, feels, smells, tastes every aspect of the war he can't leave behind.

He doesn't know how to be happy. There is no joy in his life. For him there is little reason to live, except for this little dog that carries the leash that, hopefully, will guide him out of his 'bunker.'

The Marine Corps phrase of "we take care of our own" is literal. Perhaps only a veteran can walk a veteran out of his 'bunker'. Perhaps in this case this veteran is a little dog named Buddy.

After all this warrior did to protect us, is this too much to ask?

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TRAIN A DOG - SAVE A WARRIOR PROGRAM

In this program, shelter dogs will be specially selected, rescued, and obedience trained for a donation to a warrior wsith Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as a Comfort/Support Dog.

Your contribution will make a difference.

$250.00 will help sponsor our first dog for a very special Marine with severe PTSD and two TBI's (Traumatic Brain Injuries).

 

Please send to:

PENNY'S FROM HEAVEN FOUNDATION

13423 BLANCO ROAD, SUITE 218

SAN ANTONIO, TX 78216

Thank you!

GOING TO THE BUNKER

To a returning combat veteran with PTSD, 'going to their bunker' means going into a walled off and isolated situation that gives them space alone, away from other people to include their friends and family, when they are feeling particularly triggered.  How long they stay in the bunker is for as long as they have to.  They will come out when they are ready and not a moment before.

It is simply protective isolation.  It has been likened to putting yourself into 'time out'. Time out from the world, away from people and stimulation, both bad and good.  This 'time out' will be over when it's over. Only they can decide when that might be. It could be a day or a year.

Triggers like fireworks, noise, smoke, crowds  or situations that make them lose control, can force the veteran to seek out his or her 'bunker.'  Things such as an argument with a spouse or child, loosing their temper, lack of sleep, flashbacks, nightmares, anger, alcohol and substance abuse, medical issues, sexual trauma, depression and being constantly depressed and hyper vigilant, are all symptoms that can lead to 'the bunker.'

Then sometimes the warrior with PTSD takes a friend into the bunker with him.  Sometimes this friend is a dog. Such was the case with Manny.  With him, it was obvious that stress reduction techniques and coping skills helped him regain control along with the help of Gracie his PTSD Support Dog.

Manny adored her.  When she was there in his arms there was no fear, no memories of war, no grief, no anxiety - only Gracie. His facial muscles relaxed as he held her close and snuggled this one thing that asked nothing of him.  She calmed him as nothing else did. His avoidance and isolation lessened as each week he looked forward to once again spending time with Gracie.

We as humans are social creatures and sometimes in isolation we wither and sometimes we go into a isolation of a bunker and never come out.  The ones who get help come out and the ones who don't, often don't come out.

PLEASE HELP US HELP - WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

TRAIN A DOG - SAVE A WARRIOR PROGRAM

In this program, shelter dogs will be specially selected, rescued, and obedience trained for a donation to a warrior wsith Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as a Comfort/Support Dog.

Your contribution will make a difference.

$250.00 will help sponsor our first dog for a very special Marine with severe PTSD and two TBI's (Traumatic Brain Injuries).

Please send to:

PENNY'S FROM HEAVEN FOUNDATION

13423 BLANCO ROAD, SUITE 218

SAN ANTONIO, TX 78216

Thank you!