Photo By Tech. Sgt. Parker Dubois | U.S. Air Force Maj. Alvi Azad, a surgeon assigned to the 497th Intelligence,...... read more read more
Subscribe
Behind locks of golden fur, Lucky’s deep-set brown eyes peer down the halls of the 497th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing’s Distributed Ground Station-1 building.
He finds an Airman sitting alone at his desk, and drops his head into the Airman’s lap. As the Airman’s brows lift, his eyes widen as he begins petting the 5-year-old Golden Retriever, Lucky.
Lucky is the morale dog of U.S. Air Force Maj. Alvi Azad, a surgeon assigned to the 497th ISR Group. Originally, Azad began training Lucky, his personal pet, to be a service dog for autistic children; however, a deployment to Japan halted the training.
With several months of training left, Azad was unable to fully certify Lucky as a service dog due to the deployment. Therefore, having the required training under his belt, the next best step was to register Lucky as a therapy dog. This new path not only made use of Lucky’s training, but also created an unexpected opportunity to help Azad’s work center.
“[The DGS-1] was looking for a therapy dog, and it was just ‘lucky,’ no pun intended, that I had a therapy dog,” said Azad.
Due to the sensitivity of the ISR mission, the Airmen are, at times, secluded while working in high-security buildings. The mission also requires restrictions on cell phone, personal email and social media use. As a result, the unit’s mental health providers frequently check on the Airmen and provide support, if needed, to ensure they can properly perform their duties.
As a therapy dog, Lucky now acts as the provider’s gateway to help Airmen manage the various impacts of working 12-hour days. Due to the classified nature of ISR positions, Airmen are unable to discuss their daily activities with friends or family, as typical workplaces would allow.
“[Airmen] at the DGS do a lot of intense work … that has a direct impact on the way we [accomplish] our nation’s [missions],” said Azad, staring at Lucky as he rubbed the dog’s graying muzzle. “They see a lot of things. It’s a really stressful environment, and having Lucky there makes a huge difference for the Airmen.”
When Lucky notices a Wingman in need of a “pick-me-up,” he immediately drops to his side for a belly-rub, inviting the Airman to take a break.
“Lucky can just figure out who is not having a good day, or who was just involved in a very intense mission and needs a little extra tender loving care,” said Azad. “He will find a way to get to them and just snuggle up to them.”
For U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Young, assigned to the 10th Intelligence Squadron, seeing Lucky is, at times, the highlight of his work day.
“Having Lucky around is a pretty big morale boost,” said Young. “The mental health team comes around with Lucky and he’s in a constant state of happiness. You can’t help but smile and be in a good mood when you see his face.”
Since meeting Lucky, Young and his fellow Airmen have put time aside every few days to spend with their canine friend.
“I try to go over [to see Lucky] every couple of days to just pet him and play with him for a little bit,” said Young. “The [resiliency team] always welcomes me to spend time with him. He’s here for the Airmen, and everyone that works in the building.”
Azad hopes Lucky’s presence not only helps Airman like Young accomplish the mission at hand, but also smooths the transition from the mission to life at home.
“[This job] is a lot different from others in the Air Force because typically Airmen will be deployed to the zone, do a tour, and then come back [home],” said Azad. “Here, they have a presence in other parts of the world, but then a few hours later they are going home, picking up milk, or the kids, and that [can be] a little jarring for a lot of folks.”
To Azad, Lucky is the example of what a wingman should be, as he sees the struggle of balancing warfighting with everyday life and addresses it head on. As Lucky wanders the halls, he serves not only as a resiliency tool, but also as a friend that can take on the pain and worry of those who defend our country 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
| Date Taken: | 06.07.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2016 16:50 |
| Story ID: | 201123 |
| Location: | HAMPTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 480th ISR Wing is one “Lucky” dog, by TSgt Parker Dubois, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
