FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
February 10, 2021 

 WHAT DO MILITARY BRATS, HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES, WAR VETERANS AND SUPER-STAR DOGS HAVE IN COMMON? They’ve all come together to bring awareness to a truly wonderful cause: providing specially trained
service dogs to Veterans. 

Join them on Monday, February 15, 2021 at 7 p.m. EST to learn more about Operation Warrior Shield’s upcoming Virtual Fundraising Gala to benefit Warrior Canine Connection! (Click on link to reserve your FREE TICKET to this virtual press announcement on February 15. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/healing-their-hidden-wounds-tickets-138779482167) 

 The Virtual Fundraising Gala details: 
Operation Warrior Shield (OWS) will be sponsoring a Virtual Fundraising Gala on Monday, March 29, 2021 at 7 p.m. EST (Vietnam Veterans Day), with all proceeds directly benefiting Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) and its placement of service dogs with Veterans. 

The Gala will feature an impressive line-up of VIP celebrities and speakers, including Lainie Kazan, actress and singer; Greta Blackburn, actress, singer and daughter of an Air Force Veteran; TONY Lo BIANCO, actor and narrator of “Just A Common Soldier”; Dabney Coleman, American actor; Andre Rush, former White House Chef and combat Veteran; Daniel Rodriguez “The Singing Policeman” and Army Veteran; Dr. Robert Koffman, CAPT (Ret.), decorated Navy combat Veteran and military psychiatrist; Errol Rappaport, Air Force Veteran and OWS Goodwill Ambassador; Edward Schloeman, CMSgt (Ret.) and founder of Operation Warrior Shield; Brigadier General Loree Sutton, New York’s veterans-affairs commissioner and formerly the Army’s highest-ranking psychiatrist; and Rick Yount, founder and executive director of Warrior Canine Connection.  

 Also featured at the event will be U.S. Air Force Veteran Ryan Garrison and his WCC service dog Luke, who was recently named 2020 Service Dog of the Year by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Ryan and Luke were paired up in 2016 by WCC. Garrison, who enlisted in the Air Force after the 9/11 attacks, was severely injured while deployed in Iraq in 2006. His injuries included fractured and torn disks in his back, which have resulted in numerous surgeries, chronic pain and anxiety. 

 Luke not only helps Garrison with his mobility and everyday tasks but since being paired with him, Garrison has been able to better control his anxiety and PTSD.  

“I feel beyond blessed to be able to share what Luke, and other WCC service dogs, can do,” said Ryan Garrison. “My hope is to encourage other veterans to take a step forward to seek help.” 

 “This event is to raise awareness and critical funds to place more service dogs with our nation’s wounded Veterans. Period,” said Edward Schloeman, CMSgt (Ret.) and founder of Operation Warrior Shield. “This is a no-fail mission.” 

“Warrior Canine Connection is privileged to work with Operation Warrior Shield, a fellow nonprofit that is making a real difference in the lives of our Veterans,” explained Rick Yount, founder and executive director of Warrior Canine Connection. “Operation Warrior Shield knows the sacrifices our Service Members and Veterans have made, as well as the value of canine therapy, and we are so thankful to have their support,” he adds. 

 
About Warrior Canine Connection: 
Warrior Canine Connection is a pioneering organization that utilizes a Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to empower returning combat Veterans who have sustained physical and psychological wounds while in service to our country. Based on the concept of Warriors helping Warriors, WCC’s therapeutic service dog training program is designed to mitigate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other challenges, while giving injured combat Veterans a sense of purpose, and help in reintegrating back into their families and communities. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org or contact Beth Bourgeois at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org. 

About Operation Warrior Shield: 
Operation Warrior Shield, Inc. provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, first responders and their families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, employment, prevention of homelessness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources. The emphasis is to help heal their hidden wounds through: Helping veterans find jobs; Eliminating veteran homelessness; Teaching Transcendental Meditation; and VETWELL, the organization’s “Community Based Holistic Wellness” program. For more information visit www.operationwarriorshield.com or contact Edward Schloeman, CMSgt (Ret.) at eschloeman@aol.com. 

Errol Rappaport 
Good Will Ambassador 
Operation Warrior Shield 
Fidelis Services Group 
Vietnam Veteran, Medic United States Air Force 
errolink@gmail.com – 310-780-1170 
 

Visit Warrior Canine Connection’s 24-hour Puppy Cam: 
https://explore.org/livecams/warrior-canine-connection/puppy-whelping-room