Shelter to Soldier Veteran-Graduate Dustin Potash Appointed Veteran Advocate and Case Manager By Eva M. Stimson In his newly appointed position as Shelter to Soldier (STS) Veteran Advocate and Case Manager, Dustin A. Potash (US Army), values how important it is to navigate through the application process for donated service dogs offered by the STS program to post-9/11 combat veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The challenges experienced by our veteran applicants are all too familiar for Dustin, and he utilizes his passion, understanding and desire to help other veterans continue to forge ahead, as he has done. Dustin welcomes this as an opportunity to help his fellow comrades, as he personally sought a solution through STS. Dustin is particularly qualified for his new position at Shelter to Soldier, having experienced the extensive training he went through during the process himself. He successfully graduated through the STS curriculum and was paired with his compassionate service dog, Nigel.
According to Dustin, “I joined the Army in 2002 and was training as an Artilleryman at Fort Sill, OK. My first duty station was at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. In 2003 I was deployed to Iraq during the first invasion. My job was to follow the infantry and shoot artillery rounds into enemy defenses so that the infantry could continue to move forward. Once we moved forward, we would drive through the destruction and saw firsthand the damage we caused. I did this for the entire year I was in Iraq. No one should be subject to the sights and events I witnessed while in war Later in my career, I would escort fallen soldiers to their hometowns as well as notify next of kin of their loved one’s death. During my twelve-year career, I always knew that something was off in me, but I could never talk about it or admit there was something wrong. I was taught in the military never to complain and learned very quickly how to hide and suppress my emotions. There was no outlet for me to talk about what was going on. All I knew was to put the left foot in front of the right and keep moving forward. Everyone has a breaking point and mine occurred in 2013. My mind and body just couldn’t take any more pain so I decided to leave the Military in 2014.
“If it weren’t for STS, I don’t know if I’d still be around… they are like an extended family for me”
Photo by: © Allison Shamrell Pet Photography www.AllisonShamrell.com San Diego, CA
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WWW.HomelandMagazine.com / August 2021
