Bill is a Vietnam veteran who served in the USMC. In July 1966, while on a combat mission in Vietnam, he witnessed thirteen Marines burn to death in a helicopter that was shot down by the North Vietnamese Army. Days later, he watched as his closest friend was killed in an ambush. In 1970, as an Air Traffic Controller in Vietnam, he was the controller in charge as two Marine Cobra Helicopters collided in midair in front of the control tower, he watched as four Marine pilots burned to death inside their cockpits. After many years of not understanding what was going on with him, he sought help and was finally diagnosed with PTS. He is now learning to cope with flashbacks and nightmares.
Bill bumped with WETHERLY in December 2015. WETHERLY will help lower his cortisol levels, interrupt his night terrors and alert him to things such as doorbells and alarms if he takes his hearing aids out. Bill stated, “I am no longer looking for a cure, I would just like some peace and I know that an Assistance Dog will bring me that peace.”
WETHERLY is an Honor Puppy named in memory of Col. Ralph “Dick” Richard Wetherell, Jr., USAF (ret.).
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