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Healing from within: A Veteran’s journey to helping others

October 7, 2024

Anna Cherepnina stood at Everest Base Camp, taking in the breathtaking view and reflecting on her journey; She had gone from the depths of despair to scaling new heights of hope—both figuratively and literally. Just a year earlier, Anna was overwhelmed by darkness, struggling to find any reason to keep going. With time and patience, she rebuilt her life and now helps others do the same as an outreach specialist with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP).

“I realized I’ve spent my entire career helping others, so it was time to take my own advice and ask for help,” says Anna. “The key is to take the tiniest of steps—put on your clothes and show up.”

A U.S. Army Reserve Veteran, Anna’s life has been shaped by her experiences in service and her share of challenges. Anna moved to the U.S. from Ukraine in 2001. She was 12 at the time and didn’t know a word of English, but when 9/11 happened, she says she understood what was taking place and felt a deep calling to give back.

“Seeing others join the military inspired me to contribute to the country that embraced me,” shared Anna. “In 2009, I joined the military because I wanted to contribute to the nation that welcomed me and offered opportunities I would never have had in the Ukraine.”

Anna enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2009, where she gained experience as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Technician at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and served as a Behavioral Specialist and later as a Behavioral Health Supervisor in Combat Operational Stress Control Units. In 2015, she switched over to the Army National Guard, and during that time, she completed occupational therapy fieldwork at Towson University and worked as an Office Assistant at the Veteran Mental Health Center.

It was in 2021, during her second deployment, that she began losing feeling in her limbs and became paralyzed. She received an unexpected diagnosis—multiple sclerosis—which led to her medical retirement in 2022.

“I’ve always loved psychology and the way we deal with life circumstances,” said Anna. “I truly believe everything happens for a reason,” Anna shares. “I’ve been through my own health issues, lost my fiancé and reached a very low point. I didn’t want to live anymore, but my friends came and got me. That’s when I reached out to Wounded Warrior Project.”

One of her very first WWP events was a training program offered through its partner organization, Warrior Canine Connection (WCC), to learn how to help train a service dog. Anna attended and was hooked. She also enlisted WWP’s help with resume writing and networking, and before long, saw a job opening within the organization—Anna says she knew it was where she was supposed to be.

Today, as an outreach specialist with WWP, Anna continues to make an impact. She connects Veterans with the resources they need, drawing from her own experiences and struggles, to guide others on their paths to healing, which regularly includes WWC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery training program, where Veterans learn to help train service dogs for their fellow Warriors. From the base of Everest to the halls of WWP, Anna’s journey is a powerful reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is always a path to healing—one small step at a time.

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Warrior Spotlight: Andrew Miller

January 24, 2024

Today we introduce you to U.S. Air Force Captain (ret.) Andrew Miller. He’s a Veteran who Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) had the pleasure of meeting through its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program in partnership with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). We are honored to share his story.

A horrific car accident in February 2021 prompted U.S. Air Force Captain (ret.) Andrew Miller to medically retire. Andrew has no recollection of the 4-5 months spent in the hospital immediately following the wreck. He underwent multiple surgeries, requiring 19 screws in his leg and treatment for a traumatic brain injury (TBI). As a pilot with a strong passion for flying, Andrew was grounded and felt disconnected and without purpose.

But Andrew says there are two things that have helped him on his continued healing journey: group workouts with WWP and working with WCC’s service dogs in training.

While at Walter Reed recovering, Andrew attended workouts at the Under Armour Headquarters offered through WWP. The group workouts not only helped him feel connected but went a long way in his physical rehabilitation.

“It was really nice being able to have discussions with other people who speak the same language [military] as you,” said Andrew. “I went from those early days of not being able to walk at all to being able to run again.”

In fact, a few months back, Andrew completed the Army Ten-Miler. He openly shares, “It wasn’t through lack of effort. I took it slowly and steadily, one day at a time.”

He also learned about WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program through WWP. Andrew started by taking a class at its headquarters in Boyds, Maryland. He really enjoyed it, so he took more classes, and completed the eight-week MBTR training program. Soon after, he committed to classes to become an independent handler, meaning he helped care for the service dogs in training and assisted WCC service dog training instructors where needed.

“When I see dogs, it just brings a huge smile to my face. When I learned about WCC’s program, I had just medically retired and was looking forward to an opportunity and something to do. It was super beneficial for me in reattaching and realizing I could still have a purpose, even if it was connecting with a dog—I still have a purpose and I found that to be very, very inspiring,” shared Andrew.

Growing up, Andrew aspired to become an astronaut. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he learned to fly. While there, he flew gliders and taught survival school. Following graduation, he attended pilot training and completed six deployments —five flying and one on the ground.

“I wanted to learn to fly, but once I got there, I got to see a lot more purpose in being in the military,” said Andrew. “It really inspired me to find a deeper purpose for serving.”

Although Andrew is currently unable to fly, he’s found another way to serve—by teaching others. Andrew is now working for a regional subsidiary of American Airlines using his experience to teach new pilots how to fly. He’s not only found purpose but has set two new goals for 2024: working with his next WCC dog and completing a half-marathon.

To learn more about WWP’s program, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

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

October 16, 2023

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 Spotlight: U.S. Army First Sergeant Alex Brownstein

July 26, 2023

U.S. Army First Sergeant Alex Brownstein says serving in the military has been the most meaningful thing he’s done in his life. We met him through Warrior Canine Connection’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program in partnership with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). We are honored to share his Warrior story.

“First and foremost, for me, service to others is a very big thing, it’s kind of what has guided me for the past 18 years, different trials, different tribulations,” said Brownstein. “I frame it as if what I am doing benefits others, not just myself, I am doing something right. It’s been so impactful and has also afforded me the opportunity to see the world, have new experiences, and tackle some challenging assignments.”

Brownstein has endured several challenging assignments over the course of the past 18 years, including three deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was during one of his tours in Afghanistan that he sustained a traumatic brain injury due to exposure to an improvised explosive device (IED).

It was shortly after that when a physician told Brownstein about WWP and its programming that many Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) benefit from. Brownstein enjoyed several events, including trivia nights, virtual events, and other outdoor activities.

It was at one WWP event that he discovered WCC and its MBTR training program. Essentially, Service Member and Veteran participants help train service dogs for fellow Warriors over the course of eight weeks. Through the training, Veterans help their comrades in arms, they can also benefit from therapeutic aspects of the program including increased impulse control, sleep and emotional regulation, as well as decreased stress levels, depression and hypervigilance.

“I loved it, absolutely loved it,” said Brownstein. “I’m not a very social person, so it allowed me to interact and integrate with a group of Veterans and volunteers through WCC in an environment where there was no pressure, no stress, you were there to help with the dogs and participate in a program that will help Veterans in need. I felt very strongly connected to it — it had the added benefit of showing me another way to decrease my own levels of stress and provided me with purpose outside of my military career.”

Now stationed at Fort Meade in Maryland, Brownstein works as an organizational leader, helping to take care of other soldiers. In fact, he also recently arranged to have his team visit WCC to learn more about the program and interact with the dogs.

“It reinforced the incredible bond that can be had between a human and a dog,” said Brownstein. “Some of the bonds I’ve had in the military are the strongest I’ll ever have, and I found a lot of similarities with the dogs.”

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

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WCC Veteran Spotlight: Arodi Grullon Fernandez

August 3, 2021

Wounded Warrior Project & Warrior Canine Connection Instilling Sense of Community Among Veterans

Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) had the pleasure of meeting and working with Arodi Grullon Fernandez, a 12-year Veteran of the Marine Corps. He connected with WCC through a Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) event and continues to seek out WWP events and programs and encourages other Veterans to get involved.

Arodi Grullon Fernandez’s family immigrated from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico when he was just 5. The youngest of three brothers, after graduating from high school in 2002, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. His 12 years of service included one deployment to Iraq, two to Afghanistan, and several other duty stations, including Okinawa, Camp Pendleton, 29 Palms and Camp Lejeune.

During his service, Arodi trained as a refrigeration mechanic. As a junior Marine, he worked in maintenance and operations of the equipment, but after he became a non-commissioned officer, he performed duties of Platoon Sergeant and maintenance/operations. Due to service limitations, Arodi was honorably discharged on 2014.

“I was sad to leave the service,” said Arodi. “I credit the Marine Corps with giving me my leadership values, skills and camaraderie with my fellow Marines, but I am happy with how life worked out.”

And “worked out” it did. After leaving the Marine Corps, Arodi attended Craven Community College for two years for cyber security and network administration.

Still longing a connection with other Veterans, he got involved with Wounded Warrior Project. He got involved, attended several events, and learned about the Cisco Veteran Training Program, which led to his current job as a system administrator, where he’s been employed for three-plus years.

It was through WWP’s program that Arodi also learned about Warrior Canine Connection’s service dog training program, where Service Members and Veterans help train future service dogs for their fellow Warriors with visible and invisible wounds.

A dog lover and with allotted volunteer hours through Cisco, Arodi signed up.

“I thought it would be great a way to stay engaged with the Veteran community, and I never had any kind of training on how to work with my own dog, so it was interesting to me,” said Arodi.

He traveled to WCC once a week for 12 weeks. There, he assisted the service dog training instructors, and in the process learned training techniques, as well as other tasks such as proper grooming.

“It’s so rewarding to see small, incremental changes with the dogs,” said Arodi. “For me, I had no idea how much goes into training a service dog. It really opened my mind to how service dogs are used to help Veterans with PTSD and learn the triggers.”

He says the training helped him with his own communication with his dog, Lexi, a 4-year-old Australian Shepherd.

“It helped me put a lot of things in perspective with how I work with my own dog,” said Arodi. “I used to think I was the alpha male and yell/raise my voice to train mine. But I learned that, no, you just have to make it more interesting to them.”

Arodi only has one regret about his involvement in the programs.

“I wish I would have gotten involved with Wounded Warrior Project a little bit earlier,” said Arodi. “My connection to the military and the Marine Corps is very important, and Wounded Warrior Project and programs like Warrior Canine Connection’s service dog training program go a long way in helping me and others feel connected.”

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