Georgia Magazine - February 2018 - 34

Perfect

MATCHES
BY KAREN D. EWING

hris June, a lineman in Jefferson-based Jackson
Electric Membership Corp.'s (EMC) Gwinnett District, can relate to the concerns and issues of veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He comes from a long line of family members who
have served in the military, and he enlisted in the U.S.
Army when he turned 18 in February 2002.
By that November, he was fighting Taliban insurgents
in Afghanistan as part of a specialized team attached to a
special forces unit.
After serving a yearlong deployment, June returned
home and joined AMVETS, a veterans service organization. However, he quickly discovered a need for local
services for Georgia's veterans. To meet this need, he
and Michelle and Joe Walker, a military family in Auburn,
helped form Military Veterans of Georgia (MVG) in 2010.
Based in Winder, MVG provides a local, handson approach to helping veterans return to civilian life.
The transition can be difficult and even life-threatening;
nationwide, 22 veterans die from suicide every day.
Service dogs often provide invaluable help to veterans, particularly those dealing with PTSD. June appreciates the healing power of his own dogs.
"I have three 70-pound dogs, so the four of us act as
one ThunderShirt [a calming vest that relieves dogs' stress
through gentle, constant pressure] during Fourth of July
fireworks. Fireworks can be triggers for dogs just like combat veterans," June says.
However, the wait time for a veteran to get a service
dog averages three years, and the cost can be prohibitive: $7,500 to $25,000. To address this need, June helped
to develop MVG's signature program, Operation Atlas, in
2014. The program works with local animal shelters to
find dogs and with local trainers to transform the dogs
into service animals for local veterans. The average training time for a military service dog is one or two years.
Once the dog completes basic training, the dog is
paired with a veteran, and they participate together in advanced training tailored to the veteran's specific needs.
Local trainer Rachael York is able to train dogs to respond to veterans with PTSD. For example, when the dog
34

ROBB MAAG

Jackson EMC lineman connects
shelter dogs, struggling veterans

Jackson EMC lineman Chris June and Michelle Walker, founders of
Military Veterans of Georgia, say that the organization's Operation
Atlas program is changing lives. Shelter dogs like Diego are trained
to help veterans overcome the stress from post-traumatic stress
disorder when they return to civilian life.

senses that the veteran is becoming stressed, he or she
nudges the veteran's hand or leg, providing a distraction.
"The veteran then strokes the dog, which is calming,"
York says.
Veterans can have their own dogs trained for $1,000.
If the veteran doesn't have a dog, Operation Atlas can
provide one for $2,000, which covers the training fee as
well as veterinary bills, food, housing and supplies. However, veterans in financial need are never denied based
on cost.
"We offer volunteer opportunities so veterans can
earn the dog," Michelle Walker says.
One of the organization's greatest needs is foster families for the dogs-in-training.
"We've found dogs at local shelters. We've found
trainers. But we need more foster families who can support the program," June says.
"We've placed or trained eight dogs for veterans in
two years," he adds. "These dogs enrich the lives of veterans with PTSD on a daily basis. They help ease anxiety.
It's a cool feeling to see how a dog changes lives. Dogs
can sense anxiety. PTSD alters quality of life, so having a
service dog helps returning veterans live a normal life."
For example, one veteran of the Iraq War has a traumatic brain injury and severe PTSD.
"He is now able to live with fewer debilitating flashbacks, thanks to a service dog we trained and gave to
him," June says.
"A dog is the most underrated benefit a veteran could
have."
To get more information or learn how you can help,
visit operationatlas.com.
Karen D. Ewing, CMP, is the community relations
representative at Jackson Electric Membership Corp. in
Jefferson.

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - February 2018