I am extremely proud to have served my country as a SEAL for 23 years. My career path has taken me through extreme times. Now that my service has ended, I am realizing the cost of my service. Like many, I feel a great void. There are several components that contribute to this void to include: loss of identity, loss of purpose, feelings of anger, sadness, depression, grief, frustration and an overall feeling of isolation and loneliness. In this new phase of my life, I have a hard time relating to and connecting with other people and my view of the world has darkened.
The K-9 Project is significant to me because of the fact that someone who I never met went out of their way to brighten my stoic existence. This is something I am reminded of every morning when I am greeted by Rambo enthusiastically wagging his tail.
Owning Rambo has provided me with a new responsibility and duty which in turn led to an increased sense of identity, purpose, and happiness. During my service, my biggest fear was the possibility of failing my teammates. Now Rambo is my teammate and I had to find a new motivation. This motivation has been effective at cutting through many of my internal obstacles which allows me to function at a higher level.
Basically, I learned that fear can drive motivation and you will find happiness along the way. My identity and purpose in this phase of my life, is someone who protects and ensures the best for my family and Rambo. It is hard to be angry, sad, depressed, grief ridden, frustrated, and lonely when you have unconditional love.
Rambo is allowed on the couch!
