In this series, we highlight those working in the Veteran and Military communities to help make reintegration and life a little better for everyone. We wanted to ask some of the common questions about how they got to where they are and how they inspire others to do more.
Interviewer: Stacey Ebert, Veteran Support Network
Organization: Sierra Delta
Title in Organization: CEO & Founder
Why Veterans? I am a veteran who, after re-entry, struggled with being wounded in Iraq. I began this journey trying to solve my issues and began to see that others had similar struggles and that many of the remedies that worked for me also worked for other veterans.
What got you interested in this organization (if you started the organization - what inspired you to do so)? When I was at my lowest point it was a dog that inspired me to not give up. This was an ordinary dog without special training or special breeding, but he was my dog and I was his human. Sierra Delta was born from that connection. As a VA Benefits Officer and a Social Worker, I worked with and listened to more veterans talk about how they have a special connection to their dog and when I researched how veterans could get help enhancing this special relationship I saw that no organization was meeting that need effectively. With that in mind, I set out to find a way to ensure veterans could get access to reasonable and sustainable support in finding and training the dog best suited for their needs and lifestyle.
What's your favorite thing about working in this field? Building relationships with other veterans, entrepreneurs, dog people, and of course the dogs.
How has community service involvement impacted your life? For me, community service is the key to happiness. Working to help others and to help my community of veterans become stronger and healthier helps me to become stronger and healthier, plus I have a lot of fun doing it!
Why should veterans and families use these services? Sierra Delta offers ALL veterans a way to enhance their relationship with their dog or to find the right Service Dog for their needs in a way that includes the veterans and their families and offers them a variety of ways to be an active part of the solution.
What, in your opinion, is the most important thing soon-to-be-Veterans and their families should consider before leaving military service? While the civilian population is exploding, the Veteran population is rapidly shrinking. This means that in 20 years, the veteran benefit landscape will look very different to what it does today. In that time, there will only be 8 million veterans in a country of 800 million versus 18 million in a country of 365 million. We all need to start planning for this paradigm shift.
Anything else you would like us to know about you, your past experiences, or advice for veterans? ‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country’ is the key to the veteran community’s success over the next 2 decades. We cannot allow ourselves to be a hold on America by worrying about entitlements - we must utilize our unique skills and experiences to make ourselves invaluable to our country. Do not be satisfied with having served, stay hungry and keep serving!
Why this person? BJ is a fierce veteran supporter who uses his insight, ingenuity, and personal story to share his experience and love for the human to canine connection. With his military service, social work mindset, and community activism spirit, he empowers veterans and their families to share their hearts with a canine companion and live life to their fullest potential.