'TADSAW' Provides Canine 'Battle Buddies' to Wounded Warriors

I'm going to pass along some statistics concerning our military men and women that are shocking and disturbing.

According to numbers released by the Department of Defense in 2011, twenty percent of soldiers returning from deployment will be affected by the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) during their first year home. At least 3 out of 5 female soldiers will be survivors of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). It is estimated by the Veteran's Administration that the suicide rate for men and women returning from battles and deployments overseas is at least 22 a day.

Bart Sherwood, a Vietnam Veteran, decided he had to do something. In 2011, he founded TADSAW, Train a Dog, Save a Warrior. This program serves the warrior, the family, and the community by providing the warrior and the canine 'Battle Buddy' with the training and tools necessary to become an accredited Warrior/Medical Alert Service Dog Team.

How does this translate into helping someone with PTSD to overcome their fears or to reconnect with a community? I would invite you to take a look at the TADSAW website to find out, or you could also attend a free seminar that is happening Tuesday, January 26th at the First United Methodist Church across from the Lufkin Middle School on E. Denman. The event begins at 6 p.m.

You can also go to the TADSAW to make a donation to help fund this project. Sherwood and 'The Colonel' joined us on the Merrell in the Morning Show. Sherwood said a donation of just a quarter a day can make a huge difference in the life of our soldiers.