Page 796 - Total War on PTSD

have also realized how much strength it takes to receive the proper treatment and the strength that it takes to ask for help.
I do have a caregiver, my spouse, Allivia. She is VA sponsored. We have been married five years and she has been my caretaker for the past four years. She handles all of my medications, appointments, questions or concerns with doctors as well as helping me physically when my back is not working properly and I can’t stand up on my own or when my balance is acting up.
I have one Service Dog named Sammy, he is not a pet, but he is with me most of the time. He is from the NEADS and the Prison Pups Program in Princeton Massachusetts. Sammy is a Trauma Assistance Dog and is trained to react and center, comfort and calm someone experiencing PTSD related issues. Sammy was 15 months old when we were matched. We have been matched since September 9th, 2013. Sammy knows about 75 different commands. He can fetch and retrieve items designated by myself. He can pick things up from the floor for me if needed. He is a calming factor when I am experiencing anxiety and he will open and shut doors as well as operate light switches or buttons. Sammy keeps constant eye contact with me when he senses that I am escalated. When I give him the command "Visit" he places his head in my lap and will keep it there while I refocus or regain my composure.
As a child I used to love to lay outside on my back in the fall. I would watch the clouds go by, the planes fly out of my local airport, and I would watch the jets enter the pattern to Boston. I always dreamed of being on any one of those and leaving my life and my comfort zone. I wanted to travel. The first time I flew anywhere out of the region was to basic training. My next flight was to Iraq. I was so excited to look out the window and see what I would see. My next
796 of 1042