SAVED BY A SOLDIER’S BEST FRIEND
By Bruce Roscoe Vietnam Veteran
Army combat photographer
Dogs are special. At times, they can know something is wrong with you even before the doctors know.
Ziggy is my Australian Labradoodle service dog and he watches over me like a hawk. The two of us were trained as a team for PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) through Soldier’s Best Friend, an Arizona non-profit organization based in Peoria with two trainers in Prescott. They work with combat veterans with PTSD or TBI (traumatic brain injuries). One of Ziggy’s tasks and many cues is to apply tactile stimulation, a maneuver where a dog applies deep pressure to a particular part of the body when the dog senses something isn’t right –thus making the person aware of a potential problem.
I actually knew something wasn’t right before I even went to the VA for a colonoscopy. It wasn’t that I felt bad, but it was something Ziggy called to my attention. He had been doing tactile stimulation on me for several weeks before my scheduled test and made it obvious that he knew there was a problem. After the colonoscopy, my doctor said something didn’t look right. A biopsy was sent to pathology to confirm the observation. In the meantime, the doctor wanted me to have some blood work done. I already knew I had cancer just because of the way Ziggy was acting. It was no surprise.
After surgery and eight days in the hospital, it was time to come home. Ziggy was so excited. He wouldn’t leave me alone. He wanted to sleep on the floor next to our bed instead of his usually place to sleep in my office.
Within a few days, Ziggy resumed the tactile stimulation. “Oh no what now?” I asked myself. When I was in the hospital, there was a concern for some type of cardiac irregularity. The VA referred me to Cardiac Care in Prescott Valley where I underwent a number of test and went home with a heart monitor. Within days I was called to return to the Cardiac Clinic where I was told I needed a pacemaker –stat.
Ziggy didn’t go to Phoenix for either operations. My wife Elaine was there by my side from early morning to late at night while I was in the hospital. I’m blessed to have such a wonderful wife. To me it was a bit humbling to be taking care of but she was and is amazing!
Now that I’m armed with a pacemaker and free of colon cancer, I’m ready to help others.
If you know of a combat veteran in our area that suffers from panic attacks, depression, flashbacks, irritability, reclusive behavior, anxiety, nightmares, uneasiness in a crowded place, or suicidal thoughts, I may be able to assist you with paperwork for Soldiers Best Friend. There won’t be any cost to you. If you don’t already have a dog under three years old, Soldiers Best Friend can find one for you. In any case, a trained service dog can be YOUR best friend. BruceR_7@yahoo.com Portrait courtesy of lasting image.
If you don’t live in Arizona you might locate a non-profit in your state that could help you. It’s worth looking into. Have a happy Veterans Day

Ray Hastings – A Friend to Veterans
By Sue Tone
Photograph by Bruce Roscoe
Three weeks into his combat tour in Vietnam, Ray Hastings realized his father was right:
enlisting was a mistake. His father, a World War II veteran, knew what was ahead. But the
younger Hastings chose the route to escape an abusive home life; and so, with his high school
buddies, he joined the U.S. Army.
“It happened real fast once I was in-country,” Hastings said about the TET Offensive that
occurred in 1968 three weeks after his arrival. “We lost 38 helicopters in the first week. Every
day, those walking point got ambushed. I wrote letters home saying goodbye.”
He suffered from bouts of malaria, head trauma, exposure to Agent Orange, and back issues that
continue today from jumping out of helicopters unaware of how far it was to the ground.
“When we were in the line of fire, we expected to get wounded. We considered it ‘no big deal.’
We were told not to get friendly with the new guys, wait four months,” Hastings said. Yet the
bonds he felt with his fellow brothers – some he never would have met from his city life
background in San Francisco – were the closest he experienced in his life.
Combat “rocked my world,” he said. “It made me more angry, which is not my personality. I was
non-confrontive, pacifistic. It was a conundrum. The anger built up and I looked for ways to
vent. I realized I had become my dad, and that scared some of the anger out of me.”
Hastings has received treatment for his PTSD, volunteered at The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Washington, D.C., visited Vietnam, and founded a speakers bureau in California. His faith and
the support of his wife has helped tremendously with healing.
Today, when he meets veterans, he offers a Thank You coin and his card. He tells them, “I’m
willing to help and be a friend.”
Ray Hastings’ video will be posted on the Vision of Vets website soon. Visit visionofvets.net to
hear other veterans tell their stories

It was a great interview.

Thank you.

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Thank you Dennis.

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Thank you very much.

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Thank you

Thank you.

Thank you