Lubbock, Texas — The T6 West Texas K-9 training program and non-profit organization Special Operations Wounded Warriors (SOWW) held a Vietnam Veteran Reveille to thank veterans for their services during the Vietnam War.
Sherry Jones, co-owner of T6 West Texas said, “it’s just time.”
Jones said that the dogs these vets have, provide a sense of security for vets returning home from war.
“It gives them an extra pair, ears, eyes, smell system senses that they may not be aware of their surroundings, said Jones. “Which really gives them that comfort to be able to go out into the community. But it’s also just conversations.”
Those conversations Jones speaks of are those veterans who might not have anyone in their lives to vent to.
Veteran and K-9 Program Coordinator, Joe Settelen, said he has had his service dog for four years.
He was awarded his service dog through SOWW and trained dogs for 2 years before becoming the K-9 Program director.
Settelen said that while training dogs, they also helped him.
“They come home and there are some of the first to isolate. And so what the dog does is it can go where no medicine can go.”
Settelen said service dogs help veterans coming home from war with integrating back into everyday life.
“So we’ve got a lot of dogs and a lot of a lot of five by five retreats and operator resets that we need to have to get all of our warriors healed up,” said Settelen”. And know that what they did is appreciated and that there are ways to overcome the horrific things that we had to deal.”
