During the celebration of Veterans Day, this Navy veteran named Damian works to bring support to fellow veterans through dogs. But Damian does not only do this during Veterans Day but almost every day of his existence. The Navy veteran decided to be part of the military after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Back then, he was still living in New York City and was working a different job. When the terrorist attacks shocked the United States, Damian decided to join the US military to serve the country. The veteran spent 14 years with the Navy, where he worked as a Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician.
He got deployed in Afghanistan three times, and during these deployments, the veteran developed post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury. This was because the work he does include disarming and removing explosives. This line of work took a toll on his mental state, but he braved through with his condition.
In 2015, he finally retired from service because he wanted to take good care of himself. Damian eventually took further studies at Columbia University, but his horrors continued to haunt him. In 2018, things got worse, so he decided to get a service dog after hearing the positive effects of having one.
It was the K9s For Warriors whom Damian contacted for a rescue dog. The organization trains rescue dogs so that they could be of service to veterans for free. In 2019, Damian’s rescue dog named Shai came to his house, and his mental state significantly improved.
With this positive development, Damian realized that he had to do the same thing for future veterans. This is why he accepted a volunteer position at the K9s For Warriors, where he now helps train service dogs for future veterans. Damian mentioned that he enjoys what he does because it is for the common good.
Credits to the Petco Foundation.
