Dog and handler help relieve battle stress for deployed soldiers

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Aerick Gomez, from El Paso Texas, a signal support specialist assigned to 313th Joint Movement Control Battalion, rubs the ears of Maj. Timmy at the American Red Cross center Oct. 5. Gomez used to have a dog named Shadow before he deployed to Afghanistan.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

10.05.2011

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force 1 - Afghanistan

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - On the roster of the 528th Medical Detachment, Combat and Operational Stress Control, you’ll find a service member whose main mission is to help soldiers around Afghanistan manage with the effects of being deployed. This service member has become almost famous around Bagram Air Field.

“Every Wednesday we have a celebrity that visits,” said Kathleen Butler, team leader for the American Red Cross. “The celebrity is Maj. Timmy.”

Maj. Timmy, a three-year-old yellow Labrador, has been in Afghanistan for over a year now and can be found at the American Red Cross Center on BAF every Wednesday around 6 p.m.

Unlike most working dogs for the military, Maj. Timmy’s purpose is to be played with, petted and loved on by anyone, said Butler.

Army Capt. Christine Beck, a native to Shamokin, Pa., and officer in charge of the Warfighter Restoration Center on BAF, is the handler of Timmy. Beck and Timmy visit units throughout Afghanistan whenever they are needed.

“We help soldiers get back to their activities in their life,” said Beck. “Our mission here is to get service members back to a functional level so they can return to duty.”

Beck recalled an unforgettable moment when Timmy had a comforting effect on a unit that had suffered casualties from combat. Timmy visited a soldier from that unit who was suffering from a state of shock.

“You could tell in his face that he was still in that numb state. He knelt down and started petting Timmy,” said Beck. “I thought he was going to pet the fur off of him.”

“I could see his face soften up and I could see him almost come out of that state. Then, he started talking about the event and started talking about how hard it was and what a rough week it had been,” Beck added.

There is a definite benefit from having Timmy in theater, Beck said. Timmy makes service members that are away from their pets happy and gives them the feeling of being a pet owner back home.

Spc. Aerick Gomez, from El Paso, Texas, a signal support specialist assigned to 313th Joint Movement Control Battalion, spent time with Timmy on his last day in theater. Gomez had a Husky named Shadow, but before deployment Gomez had to find her a new home.

“Seeing Timmy gives me a sense of home,” said Gomez. “Timmy is definitely a morale booster. Being able to pet a dog is not the everyday norm in Afghanistan.”

People are always excited to see Timmy when he runs up to greet them, said Beck.

“People tell me that ‘he made my day,’ or ‘I was in such a bad mood,’” Beck said when reflecting on Timmy’s impact on service members.

“We don’t know the trickle-down effect of when someone is in a bad mood here,” Beck added. “Timmy can pull them out of that state.”

• Date Taken: 10.05.2011
• Date Posted: 10.19.2011 21:34
• Story ID: 78733
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF