WASHINGTON — It all began with one veteran and a dog named Sarge.
Jim Stanek rescued Sarge. Sarge rescued him.
Stanek, a former volunteer firefighter in the New York area, enlisted in the
military after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
A patriot, who wanted nothing more than to serve his country and right a
wrong, he was taken by medical helicopter out of Iraq in 2008 with a slew of
physical injuries and a deeply troubled mind.
“I was medically retired out of the United States military with a PTSD and a
traumatic brain injury diagnosis,” says Stanek, who spent months at Brooke
Army Medical Center in Texas.
He thought a service dog might help him cope with his wounds of war, but the
cost proved to be way too high.
Stanek and his wife came up with an alternative. Lindsey Stanek, a
veterinary assistant, brought him a dog from a shelter and over time, they
trained the dog themselves.
“It was just one of those moments when we were inseparable from the get-go,”
he says.
Over time, that bond evolved into a program called Paws and
Stripes that matches up veterans, such as Stanek, with dogs from local
shelters. The program is privately funded. No government funding is involved.
The dogs don’t cure post-traumatic stress disorder, but they help troubled
veterans cope and move on with their lives. The vets suffer from anxiety,
depression, night terrors and flashbacks.
The dogs provide solace, a
connection, calm at troubled times and an uplifting sense of joy at others.
Stanek says his relationship with Sarge is pretty typical.
“Sarge taught me how to recognize what was going on with me emotionally and
physically to the
point where I can now kind of recognize it, and go forward with it,” he says.
Fifty-two shelter dog teams have already graduated from Paws and Stripes.
While the program currently only serves veterans in New Mexico, their
stories are universal and are the focus of a new series called Dogs of War that’s launching on the
A&E cable television network on Veterans Day.
Stanek says he can’t believe it is all happening, noting the network is taking
a risk with a tough topic, namely the day-to-day struggles of veterans and
their families dealing with PTSD.
Service dogs and their owners participated in a 2K in D.C.(Courtesy of Marine Corps Marathon)
But it isn’t the only recent thrill in his life. Just last month,
Stanek
and Sarge showed up in D.C., where they led a group of veterans and
their service dogs on a special 2K race at the beginning of the Marine Corps
Marathon.
Some of the teams ran, most walked. For Stanek, leading the race around the
Mall, past the Capitol and within sight of the Washington Monument was “an
honor — just awesome”
“As a veteran that served this country, it really brought a tear
to my eye.”
The event also provided a bit of inspiration. He says he
plans to train and return to the nation’s capital for the 2015 Marine
Marathon.
While Sarge is getting a bit old in dog years to cover 26.2
miles, Stanek says he knows his canine companion will be cheering him on —
just as she has throughout his recovery.
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