Photo By Shelby West | Sailors from NNSY, Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC), Submarine...... read more read more
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Day, May 24, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Fleet Maintenance Submarines (FMB) hosted Mutts with a Mission at their facility onboard Naval Station Norfolk.
“I think it’s important to have regular conversations about mental health,” said NNSY FMB Repair Officer Commander Crystal Miller. “Today is part of a new initiative at FMB to encourage conversations in a positive environment and Mutts with a Mission helps us do just that.”
Mutts with a Mission was founded as a way to support veterans, law enforcement personnel, and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mobility challenges.
“Our puppy raisers come from all walks of life—we have former teachers, retired military personnel, pastors, and nurses who sit and speak with service members as they visit the dogs,” said Mutts with a Mission Office Manager and Volunteer Coordinator Jo Ofeldt.
Ofeldt added, “When we visit military members with our service dogs in training, we spread out on the floor or ground and each dog lays on his or her mat, and the military members can sit with whatever dog they like for as long as they need. Not only do our visits provide service members with what we call the ‘power of the pup,’ but they can sit and spend time with members of the community who care about them.”
“We cannot effectively fix and maintain ships and submarines if we aren’t taking care of our physical and mental health, which is an essential part of the mission,” said Miller. “That’s where trust in leadership comes in and part of today’s goal is fostering that confidence in a neutral environment for Sailors and civilians to understand that there are resources available.”
“Besides being adorable, dogs exhibit unconditional love and never judge a person,” said Ofeldt. “If our Sailors can sit with one of our dogs, be present in that moment, and not worry about stressors at work or at home, we call that a win.”
| Date Taken: | 05.24.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.31.2023 15:10 |
| Story ID: | 445885 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 352 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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