Michigan Veteran Turns Incident of Discrimination Into Platform for PTSD Awareness

Eric Calley, a Michigan veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), felt that the flight crew on his US Airways flight had been acting in an insensitive manner from the start, reports the Lansing State Journal. Before the flight even took off, crew members repeatedly informed other passengers that Calley had a medical disability when discussing seat requests.

Later in the flight, the situation escalated. Calley was travelling with Sun, his service dog, who is trained to respond to Calley in moments of stress. During an period of turbulence, Sun put her front paws up on the empty seat next to Calley. A flight attendant came in from another cabin and began yelling at Calley about the dog’s conduct. Other passengers, including a fellow veteran, found the steward’s approach so rude and unwarranted that they began to speak up for Calley and Sun, pointing out that the dog was not bothering anyone. The Lansing State Journal reports that nearly a dozen passengers filed complaints about the steward’s conduct upon disembarking.

US Airways has since apologized, although the airline refuse to reveals what measures have been taken in response to the incident.  

Calley is determined to turn the incident into a platform for good. He told his story to reporter Louise Knott Ahern of the Lansing State Journal to raise awareness about the need for service animals for veterans with PTSD in Michigan.

Calley described to Ahern how the use of a service animal has helped him. The dog monitors his heart rate, breathing and tension levels, and she intervenes by providing calming contact when necessary. Calley says that the dog is able to pull him out of difficult moments, including flashbacks.

But he also says that in Michigan, veterans in need of service dogs must go through a waiting list that is two years long.

In order to combat this problem, Calley works with an organization called Liberty’s Legacy, which aims to make more service dogs available to Michigan veterans. In an addendum to her article, Ahern points out that the organization benefit from penny drives held at schools, and that any school can volunteer to hold a drive for Liberty’s Legacy.

Ahern encourages people interested in supporting Liberty’s Legacy to contact her through the Lansing State Journal, so that she may connect with Calley for further information.

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