This video just went up 5 days ago and has been watched over 4 million times. Think about that for a second, then watch the video.
The Royal Dutch Guide Dog Foundation (KNGF) commercial for veteran dogs
KNGFGeleidehonden
Published on Jan 10, 2014
** Winner of the Gouden Loeki 2014 (Dutch commercial award) ** "We not only help people who cannot see, but also those who have seen too much"
This Guide Dogs TV commercial from Royal Dutch Guide Dog Foundation (KNGF Geleidehonden) shows the assistance a veteran dog can offer in helping a military veteran who is coping with severe war related trauma.
In his dreams he revisits a place he had to go to but in the horror of the nightmare, there was comfort. His buddy came down to the ground where he laid weeping. That is something most veterans forget about. Even in the worst horrifying moments, there were signs of compassion living on.
The veteran was weeping for the loss of the people he never knew, but then again, he didn't have to know them. He was ready to die for them and for everyone else. While courage allowed him to go, it was compassion that caused him to want to.
Military leaders have convoluted notions as to why veterans have PTSD. Ironic considering it was because of military research being done on war trauma that we have so much available for the civilians on the planet. It is no longer thought of as a sign of weakness to be hit hard after surviving traumatic events. It is simply a sign of being normal before an abnormal event put a life in danger.
Sometimes the shock wears off. Other times, that shock takes hold to the point where after 30 days, it gains strength instead of showing signs of fading away.
In the civilian world, people are encouraged to get help after that. In the military world, they are encouraged to suck it up and push on because too many other lives are depending on them. So they do it. They get occupied with the duties and dangers while overcoming their fears just long enough to make it back home.
Back home their minds play a trick on them convincing them that everything is fine and whatever is wrong with them, they'll get over it where they are with their families and friends. They wait.
They wait and the pain cuts deeper. They wait as the pain spreads out like an infection into every part of their lives. It eats away any cause for joy. It devours love until they no longer feel worthy of it. It erodes hope as time passes and they are getting worse.
They reach for replacements. Alcohol and drugs to numb the pain. More alcohol and drugs to make them pass out at night because sober they fear their dreams. Another day passes and another day they feel they have become invisible. A stranger appears in the mirror, aged and worn down.
They mistrust everything they believe in. Loving a wife who pushes them away? Loving kids who remind them of kids they saw after combat was done with them? Loving friends who won't listen to them? How can they find it within them to care when it seems as if no one cares about them anymore? How can they hang onto hope when they can't remember the last time they actually felt it?
They survived combat! They can't survive home?
When they see other veterans getting help it gives them hope but if they lack help for too long, it makes them feel as if they are invisible after they felt invincible in combat. This battle is fought alone far too often.
The easy cop-out is "well PTSD is an invisible wound" but it is easy to see. You can see it in their eyes. You can see it in their face, in the way they walk, in the way they talk even if you don't hear their moans and screams in the night.
What they need comes from these fabulous service dogs because they can see all they need to know. They offer comfort with unconditional love.
We can keep hoping what failed them will suddenly work as Congress attempts to make right what they already got wrong. We can keep hoping member heard the one story of heartache that will finally convince them change has to begin with them. Or we can do what works best for the veterans.
Peer support works best and needs to be supported. When they can't find peers, then paws are the next best thing.
The video from the Royal Dutch Guide Dog Foundation is brilliant. The dog replaces the buddy in the dream, comforts the veteran, lights up the room out of darkness, then stands by his side.
