Pro Bono News

Veterans Earn Support from Employers (OH)

Wednesday, July 03, 2019

Veterans Earn Support from Employers

"YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – During his 23 years with the U.S. Army, Michael Clark saw his share of deployment in Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan. But 2010 was “a pretty rough year,” he says.

He suffered a back injury, had a few friends who didn’t make it home and struggled transitioning from deployment to civilian life.

“I felt like I didn’t know where to turn,” he says.

When he retired from the Army in 2015, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs helped him make the transition back to life stateside, but “I wasn’t keen on all the medications they tend to give you,” he says. While searching for a more holistic approach, Clark learned of the benefits of service dogs with issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Clark, an analytics specialist at PNC Bank, learned of its Mutt Strut program that pairs veterans with medical-service dogs. He applied for the program, and in 2017, he met Blade, a German shepherd that  has been at his side ever since, even at the office..."

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