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Anonymous K-9 Zelie

K-9 Zelie

I am a retired Air Force veteran and a current Corrections Officer. I joined the active-duty Air Force right out of high school as a Security Forces Airman in 2000, and then joined the Air National Guard in 2006. Over the course of my 20+ year career, I was sent on 3 Middle East Deployments, 2 State activations for Civil Unrest and 1 activation for the latest Presidential Inauguration.

On the civilian side I was hired in 2007 by the MN Dept of Corrections as a corrections officer. I am a current member of the facility Special Operations Response Team, along with an Honor Guard Member.

I reside in Central MN with my wife and 2 teenage boys. My daughter resides in the metro.

When I retired from the Military in 2022, I finally came to the realization that I was suffering mentally and it was affecting not only me, but my family. I found myself not going out into public, hating big crowds and staying home on days off where I consider my safe place. I reached out to my wife looking for help after I could not take the feeling and the terrible dreams I was having and the effect it was having on my family. I was eventually diagnosed with PTSD, Depression, and anxiety from my military/work experiences. I began to take medications andstarted to attend therapy, but still felt a void in my life. After much thought as to what to do next, I have reached out to Soldier 6 to help fill that void with the aid of a service dog. The work that Soldier 6 does with the recipients is exceptional and I look forward to the next chapter in my life.

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