Tag Archive for: MBTR

Warrior Spotlight: Molly O’Connell’s Journey of Healing and Hope

Three years ago, as she was being rushed into emergency surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center during the COVID pandemic, doctors told U.S. Air Force Major (ret.) Molly O’Connell and her husband that there was a chance she may not walk again — it would depend on the severity of the damage to her spinal cord.  

Molly recently shared her story with us after attending Warrior Canine Connection’s (WCC) Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program in partnership with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). We are privileged to share her warrior story below.  

Molly enlisted in the Air Force after high school and spent 20 years serving her country. During the first 10 years of her military career, she was enlisted in mortuary services. She then went on to get her nursing degree and became an officer, where she spent an additional 10 years caring for others.  

Molly had always had spinal issues during her service and deployments. She had undergone previous surgeries, including a neck fusion and spine surgery. But in 2020, she was diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome, a diagnosis that means she had compressed nerves at the base of her spinal column causing severe pain and paralysis from the waist down. She underwent emergency surgery at Walter Reed. 

“It took two years for me to start walking again,” said Molly, “I completed intensive physical therapy and came home in a motorized wheelchair. My husband pulled in the driveway and showed me the ramp that the VA installed for me at the front door of the house, and right then I swore I was going to walk again and remove that ramp, and I did.” 

Walking again was a tremendous feat, but despite overcoming that huge physical hurdle, Molly says it took a toll on her mental health due to her “new normal,” and she became extremely depressed. This change meant she had to walk away from her nursing career and several other hobbies she had. 

“Even though my body was getting better, mentally, I was not doing well at all,” says Molly. “You can do all the exercises in the world, but that doesn’t help when you are feeling alone and down.” 

She started seeing a therapist at the Steven A. Cohen Clinic who told her about Warrior Canine Connection’s (WCC) Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program. Molly says the mere mention of dogs had her immediately interested. 

She attended WCC’s eight-week Mission Based Trauma Recovery training program, helping to train service dogs in training for other Veterans. But during the process, she learned a lot about herself. 

“MBTR has completely turned my life around … I want to live now, I want to do stuff, I want to become an ambassador for WCC,” said Molly. “I am obsessed with animals and being able to be social again really helped me mentally. I think there’s so much to be said for people who come back from deployment — they might have medical wounds that are going to heal, but being able to return to life and be part of a community again is a huge part of it.” 

Molly also credits her husband, Vince Holtmann, who served eight years in the Air Force, with much of her recovery. Her physical challenges meant they could no longer ride bikes and work out together, like they used to. Together, they attended Wounded Warrior Project’s program, Project Odyssey, a couple’s retreat of sorts, where they were able to spend quality time and reconnect. 

“The one-week program [Project Odyssey] focused on ways to re-engage and communicate with each other while more importantly, to relearn one another after life-changing events. Both WCC and WWP have been awesome. They’ve helped give me a sense of purpose. Before entering the military, I often wondered why people leave the service and keep talking about years and years later. I never thought that would be me, but there is that sense of camaraderie you miss … it’s like a big family with so much in common to talk about that a lot of people in the outside world can’t relate to … I was still missing that and being around other Veterans and sharing common ground helped me feel like I wasn’t going through it alone.” 

After completing WCC’s MBTR training, Molly signed up as a volunteer and is helping to train future service dogs. 

Molly also shares her name with WCC’s Molly, an honor she accepted after her husband nominated her as a namesake for the yellow Labrador Retriever and current service dog in training. 

To learn more about WWP’s programs, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org. For more information about WCC’s MBTR program, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.  

Warrior Canine Connection Awarded $125,000 in Grants to Help Veterans with PTSD and TBI

Funding to Provide WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery Training Program to Veterans in Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOYDS, Maryland – Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $125,000 in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. The funding will enable WCC to provide its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) service dog training program to more Virginia Veterans through the Rappahannock Regional Veterans Docket at the Spotsylvania Circuit Court, Fort Belvoir and in partnership with fellow area nonprofit organizations.

The funding will enable WCC to engage Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the critical mission of helping to train future service dogs for fellow Veterans through its MBTR training program for a 12-month period. By participating in the program, Veterans can receive therapeutic benefits that research has shown reduces symptoms of PTSD and improves mental health.

“We are deeply grateful to the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, Suicide Prevention and Opioid Addiction Services Program (SOS) for its generous grant funding, which will significantly bolster our efforts to provide programming and support for Veterans in the state,” said Rick Yount, executive director and founder, Warrior Canine Connection. “This invaluable support enables us to expand our MBTR programming and resources, ensuring that these Warriors can benefit from the healing power of human-animal bond.”

In addition, grant funds will also support the placement of up to two WCC trained facility dogs at long-term, skilled nursing care facilities for Veterans. WCC facility dogs have the potential to impact the mental health of hundreds of Virginia Veterans.

“The purpose of this award issued by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services is for the provision of comprehensive suicide prevention and opioid addiction services for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Angela Porter, PhD., CSOTP, Director of Suicide Prevention and Opioid Addictions Services for the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. “The Virginia Department of Veterans Services – SOS Program aims to enhance understanding of suicide prevention and opioid addiction among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) and build community support capacity to ensure the RIGHT HELP is widely available RIGHT NOW to military-connected citizens and families.”

WCC’s MBTR training model is the foundation upon which Department of Defense (DoD) Animal Assisted Therapy programs have been built, and it also inspired passage of the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act in 2021. This important legislation calls for the U.D. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to replicate WCC’s MBTR program at five pilot sites across the country. The organization has collaborated on that implementation and currently serves as the nonprofit service partner at two of the five VA hospital sites. Veterans participating in the MBTR program frequently report a decrease in isolative behaviors, decreased levels of anxiety, improved quality of sleep, reduced level of stigma, increased sense of purpose, improvement in family relationships, reduced hypervigilance and improved communications skills.

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Warrior Spotlight: April Ames-Chase

Today we introduce you to U.S. Air Force Major (ret.) April Ames-Chase. She’s a Veteran who Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) had the good fortune to meet through its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program in partnership with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). We are privileged to share her story.

April Ames-Chase was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force nine months after graduating from nursing school. Her four older brothers were all in the Air Force, so it was a big draw for her—to follow in their footsteps.

April spent 20 years in the Air Force as a registered nurse, which she says, “was the experience of a lifetime.” Her work took her to many duty stations both in the U.S. and abroad, including the United Kingdom, Korea, Japan, and Iraq.

Iraq was very different from previous assignments, as her time there was during the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She worked long, grueling hours at the hospital on base in Balad, where they were under constant mortar fire, and April says she saw too many combat casualties and often feared for her own life.

“I can tell you it was the camaraderie of fellow medics that got me through it because we all had one mission in mind, and that was to save every life that we could no matter how injured they were,” said April. “Our mission was to save their lives and send them back to the United States once they were stabilized.”

She says those four and a half months in Balad had a profound effect on her.

“As a nurse, when I came back from Iraq, I was a changed person,” said April. “My role changed to an administrator, and after my experience in Iraq, I saw it was a duty that I didn’t want to do anymore; I wanted to be able to go back to mental health and nursing where I could affect change within individuals and put my energy toward helping Veterans.”

The timing felt right, so April retired after 20 years of service to do the nursing work she loves. She’s now a Behavioral Health Nurse Specialist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland where she works with patients, their families, and staff members.

April got invited to attend a WWP event and continued participating in several community projects, including laying wreaths in the cemetery, along with other events throughout the year.

“I just felt a connection with the individuals in Wounded Warrior Project by attending the events,” said April.

She saw information about WWC’s eight-week MBTR program and signed up.

“Oh, I loved it,” said April. “I traveled from Silver Spring, Md. there every week, which was quite a distance but well worth it. I looked forward to it every Saturday. The highlight was on my last day, taking Dollie to Starbucks with Emily and her dog. The dogs are loving, non-judgmental, and being in mental health, I know they raise our endorphin levels along with providing comfort and happiness—they’re life-changing.”

April continues to attend WWP events while balancing her work with finishing up her dissertation for her PhD, which focuses on the adaptation of female Veterans after returning home from Iraq—a subject which hits home for her both personally and professionally.

“Being in behavioral health, I’ve sought my own help where I’ve needed it and programs like those Warrior Canine Connection and Wounded Warrior Project offer, have been instrumental,” said April. “Whether it’s through interacting with the dogs or helping others by training future service dogs, or attending Wounded Warrior Project’s programs and events, it’s been so important for me to have these connection points and outlets for my own mental health. I highly encourage other Veterans who may be hesitant to get involved—they stand to benefit in ways they never realized.”

Warrior Spotlight: Air Force Veteran Amber Adams Finds Solace in Training Service Dogs

Air Force Veteran Amber Adams has always loved animals. Growing up, her family raised beagles, and now she has two cats of her own. So, when she saw an opportunity through Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) to be involved with Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) and help train future service dogs, she signed up. 

After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Adams sought out WWP as a way to connect with other Veterans and to find resources to help with her mental and physical health. She’s participated in fishing, kayaking, beekeeping, and a myriad of other activities, but when it came to WCC’s program and working with its puppies and dogs, she was hooked. 

“When I learned about the mission, I got really excited about volunteering there,” said Adams. “I like the companionship of the dogs; I bonded really quickly with WCC’s Dana and WCC’s Ember, and I like knowing that the training and enrichment of the puppies will benefit future Veterans.”

Adams started volunteering her time at WCC to help with the whelping and socialization of WCC puppies a few times a month. Then, she learned about its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) program and participated in the 8-week program learning how to train future service dogs for fellow Warriors. The program teaches Veterans in their own recovery to train service dog for fellow Warriors. In doing so, they receive their own therapeutic benefit from skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation, patience and more by promoting an act of service.

While completing the MBTR program, Adams also participated in a University of Maryland research study that was funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH), which spanned 2018 to 2022, with a pause for COVID. Veteran participants with PTSD, like Adams, wore heartrate monitors and had saliva swabs taken before and after their interaction with the dogs to measure changes in their heart rate variability, cortisol and physiological stress indicators. Researchers are studying the correlation between the presence of service dogs, quality of life, and level of reported PTSD symptoms. The study will end in January 2023 and the results will be available later in 2023. 

“It’s great training for me with my anxiety and PTSD; it’s easier to connect with a dog than a human sometimes,” said Adams. “The mindfulness is great … I’ve become so aware of the tone of my voice, become more patient, and focusing on communicating effectively with the dogs.”

Adams’ father and two sisters both served in the Army and her mother was a teacher. She went to college to be a teacher as well, but after landing only long-term subbing positions, she decided the Air Force would be a great way to go — enabling her to learn a new language and serve her country at the same time. 

She spent a year and a half learning the Pashto language spoken by the Taliban at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language School after basic training. Adams served seven years in the Air Force as a cryptologic language analyst, providing force protection for members of the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

She now works for one of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Urban Search & Rescue Task Force as a grants manager. When a natural disaster or terror event happens, she helps to manage the funding and finances for deployments to those areas.

Adams encourages any Veterans who are looking for new hobbies, things to do, and a connection to other like-minded people, to check out WWP.

“It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, there’s a lot of different activities, and a variety of offerings — everyone can find something to do,” said Adams. “It will definitely open your world up to so many other opportunities!”

To learn more about WWP and its programs, click here.

Warrior Canine Connection Partners with University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine to Bring Therapeutic Service Dog Training Program to Veterans on Campus

Program Made Possible Thanks to Funding from Team Foster

BOYDS, Maryland – The Perelman School of Medicine and its Veterans Care Excellence Program (VCEP) at the University of Pennsylvania is going to the dogs. Starting this month, Warrior Canine Connection (WCC), a nonprofit that breeds, trains and places highly skilled service dogs with Service Members and Veterans with physical and psychological trauma, will provide an on-site service dog training program for Penn Veteran students, staff and those served by the university.

The program will utilize WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training model, in which Veterans learn how to train service dogs for their fellow Warriors. The program fulfills a time-honored military tradition of Warriors helping Warriors, and in doing so, Veterans can also benefit from their own skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation and patience.

The new program is made possible thanks to a generous $100,000 gift from Team Foster, a local Philadelphia-based Veteran support organization dedicated to serving disabled Veterans through community support, Veteran peers and highly trained service dogs.

“Fueled by the support of Team Foster, we are honored to partner with an educational institution of Penn’s distinction,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “To have a program like this accessible on campus is incredible—as it will allow Veteran students and staff to more actively engage and benefit from the program, while helping to serve other Veterans by helping to meet the incredible need for service dogs.”

VCEP at Penn established a formalized structure to guide the existing and continued growth and development of Penn Medicine’s programs and services for Veterans in an effort to create a streamlined and supportive culture of care. The program oversees the recruiting, training and success-building of Veteran employees at the health system and ensures Veteran patients served by Penn receive optimum care. In addition, the VCEP program helps streamline the process of navigating health care benefits with those from Veteran Affairs.

“The Veteran Care Excellence Program at Penn Medicine and the Penn Veteran Collaborative Consortium program is honored to partner with Warrior Canine Connection and Team Foster,” said Paula Crawford-Gamble, RN, MSN, CAPT, NC, USN (Ret), Veterans Care Excellence Liaison, Penn. “Together we are excited to help our service members in need reconnect with life, their families, their communities, and each other through this innovative program.’” Crawford-Gamble has a service dog of her own from WCC, named Dollie.

“Team Foster has partnered with service dog organizations across the region for years; this is a long-overdue opportunity to bring a reputable, best-in-class partner to the Philadelphia area,” said Nick Liermann, founder and executive director, Team Foster. “Service dogs literally save lives. Partnering with Warrior Canine Connection and Penn provides Philadelphia-area Veterans access to these amazing animals—something our area desperately needs.”

The program officially launched in October and is located on Penn’s campus. A WCC service dog training instructor, along with five service dogs in training, are already based at the location.

The program is actively seeking Puppy Parents, volunteers who help raise and train the service dogs in training for up to the first two years of their lives. Veterans interested in learning more about the program can email mbtr@warriorcanineconnection.org or visit warriorcanineconnection.org.

For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org or 719-216-3206.

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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.

About Team Foster
Team Foster fights for the unmet needs of injured and disabled Veterans by bringing together civilians, Veterans and highly trained service dogs.
We do this by:
·Helping Veterans obtain highly trained service dogs they need at no cost;
·Providing grants for the unmet needs of Veterans and their service dog;
·Ensuring Veteran service dogs receive the highest quality training;
·Promoting awareness of service-related PTSD and TBI and advocating for the long-term needs of our Veterans.
Learn more at www.teamfoster.org.

Veterans train service dogs for wounded warriors in Baltimore City courtroom

BALTIMORE (WMAR) — It’s an unusual place to train dogs but in a Baltimore City courtroom, it’s serving a deeper purpose.

“It is a wonderful thing to watch. I think it’s therapeutic for the veterans,” said Baltimore City District Judge Halee Weinstein. Watch the full story from WMAR News 2 Baltimore.

Largest Class of Veterans and Service Dogs Set to Graduate as part of Warrior Canine Connection’s Class of 2022

Ceremony Highlighted during National Service Dog Month Observance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2022

BOYDS, Maryland – Saturday, September 24th promises a paw-sitively exciting event, as Veterans and their newly paired service dogs will graduate as part of Warrior Canine Connection’s class of 2022—its largest class to date. While the commencement ceremony will take place virtually at 11 am on WCC’s Facebook page, the nonprofit will host an in-person celebration at its Healing Quarters in Boyds, Md. immediately following the online event.

The virtual ceremony will be marked by powerful Veteran journey video vignettes, namesake stories, and keynote remarks from Governor Larry Hogan, who has a strong record of providing support for Veterans resources and benefits.

Members of this year’s graduating class, including Veteran Service Dog Teams, will attend the celebration, as well as those from previous graduations. In addition, puppy parents, who have helped train the dogs, as well as several namesake families who have a personal connection to dogs named after them or a loved one, will also be in attendance.

Graduating service dogs will have completed WCC’s intensive, Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training conducted by Warriors in recovery who learn to train mobility service dogs for fellow Warriors as a means of addressing their own symptoms of combat stress.

Media is invited to attend this event. The graduation celebration promises plenty of great b-roll opportunities, as well as interviews with Veterans and their new service dogs, past graduates and WCC staff.

Media interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Beth Bourgeois, WCC, at 719-216-3206 or beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org .

 

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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.

Warrior Spotlight: Mike Milton

Military service is a family tradition for Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Mike Milton; his brother, sister-in-law, cousin, and uncles, all served in the Armed Forces. 

“I joined to be of service to country,” says Milton. “I had amazing experiences that included people, travel, and lots of different situations—both good and bad—they were instrumental in getting me where I am today.” 

He enlisted in 2008 and served as an infantryman through 2016. During a physical fitness training event, a muscle breakdown led to a debilitating kidney injury. Milton spent four-plus months at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center undergoing dialysis treatment. He would spend 18 additional months undergoing outpatient treatment there before medically retiring in 2018. 

“While at Walter Reed, I attended a few events and enjoyed socializing with other Warriors through the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP),” said Milton. “I didn’t anticipate retiring so early and wasn’t sure what was next for me, and they really helped me through some difficult times.” 

After medically retiring from the Army, Milton enrolled in the Operation Warfighter Program, the Department of Defense’s internship, which helped position him for his current role as a Safety and Occupation Health Specialist with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory Safety Office. 

He also continued attending WWP events. It was at one of those later events that Milton encountered a service dog in training who was part of Warrior Canine Connection’s (WCC) Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program. A dog lover, he volunteered for WCC’s 8-week MBTR program, where he helped train a service dog for a fellow Warrior. 

During the program, Service Members and Veterans in their own recovery help train service dogs for their fellow Warriors. By doing so, they receive their own therapeutic benefit from skills development in communication, self-esteem building, accountability, and emotional regulation. They also learn patience when they perform acts of service for others.  

“It was great to give my own time to part of the program,” said Milton. “Dogs are very smart, and they appreciate the interaction, and the instructors were a joy to work with.”

Just happy to volunteer his time, what Milton didn’t expect was that he would benefit from the sessions himself.

“I went through a whole bout of sciatica with a lot of pain,” said Milton. “It took me an hour to drive to get to the training location but working with the dogs was relaxing to me and calmed me down. I didn’t think about world events or work or my sciatica … I was so focused, yet peaceful.” 

His advice to other Veterans who are struggling or just want to connect with other Warriors?

Milton said, “Reach out to WWP or WCC. They’re good people. They’ve been there, done that and aren’t going to leave you hanging.” 

If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved in WCC’s MBTR program, click here.

Hometown Hero: Pause for Paws

It’s not every day that someone gets to tell their story to the United States Congress and not every story moves Congress to act. Read this story on Warrior Canine Connection in the November 2021 edition of Lifestyle Potamic here. (Story begins on page 12.)

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info@warriorcanineconnection.org


Warrior Canine Connection
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