K9's For Warriors
Almost as soon as he was done with his 17 years of service as a Marine, DFW resident Sam Hampton began to shut down. His field training, which was an asset while on deployment, began to hinder his day-to-day interactions.
“To me, taking a trip to town felt so uncomfortable, especially if I knew there was going to be a lot of people,” Hampton says. “I found myself always looking for an exit, always looking for things that are possible problems or issues that may arise, and creating - I guess - anxiety for myself, just for no real reason and keeping myself on edge. It just didn't make the day enjoyable.”
This scenario, which played out in Hampton’s everyday life post service, became so debilitating, he found himself pulling away from society, almost going into a pseudo-type of hiding.
This wasn’t always the case for Hampton, who was in aviation maintenance during his first few years as a Marine. During his time in-service, Hampton volunteered whenever needed in any role necessary and would go to any location to help his unit. Hampton’s willingness to go wherever needed led to him leading security details, convoy, and base defense. During his stint working for Uncle Sam, he was deployed 12 times and was involved in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Despite the hardships that came along with his time as a Marine, Hampton says he’s grateful he was able to see the world and work with the crew of Marines that were near him during his time “on the ground.”
However, most of the experience and know-how Hampton gained as a result of his training did him little to no good when back at home in the DFW area. In fact, his training and mode of thinking would keep him away from participating in any local gatherings.
That was until he met an adorable husky/lab mix named Jax.
Jax and Hampton would be paired through a national program called K9s For Warriors, which is headquartered in Ponte Vedra, Florida, with a campus in San Antonio. After several months on the fence about wanting to reach out to this organization, Hampton says he’s glad he actually found the nerve to make the call.
“Since day one, it’s been an amazing transition,” he says. “Just doing this interview with you, I would've never done that. I would've been like, ‘no, thanks.’ And I've done so well with having Jax at my side that I wanted to make sure that all my fellow veterans and anybody out there -first responders - that there's opportunities to better yourself and get back into the swing of things in life and enjoy it.”
Jax’s backstory is also one for the history books, given he was a day away from being euthanized when K9’s For Warriors stepped in and saved his life. Since he was a pup, Jax was institutionalized waiting to be adopted, after being found abandoned on the streets of San Antonio. Over a year would go by without any takers for Jax, which meant he would age out, or in this case, be put down.
“They have a motto at K9’s For Warriors, which is we save two lives, one on each end of the leash,” Hampton says. “And that’s exactly what they did when they paired me and Jax together.”
According to a release sent out by K9’s For Warriors, 20% of veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, 12% of Gulf War veterans, and nearly 300,000 Vietnam veterans are afflicted with devastating and life-altering PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), TBI (Traumatic Brain Injuries) and psychological and physical disabilities.
As a result, some 20 veterans die by suicide every day. This is where K9s For Warriors steps in. And its results have shown some significant improvements in saving the lives of returning combat veterans using specially trained Service Dogs.
It was this very program that paired Hampton and Jax together at the K9’s For Warriors facility in San Antonio. A typical training program for both a Vet and a dog is three weeks. This all expenses paid course allows each participating veteran to bond and learn how to interact with their service dog to help them navigate the civilian world around them.
“The big thing is it's a distraction away from your environment,” Hampton verified. "So, you don't pay attention to the things that are going to create anxiety around you because the dog’s there and he's always showing you attention and making sure that you're paying attention to him. And it just keeps your mind active and acclimated to making sure you're doing what you need to do with his commands and making sure he's good. This is the way the whole process works.”
Now a full advocate of this program, Hampton admits he was more than hesitant to make the initial phone call to get things moving forward.
I was very much against it at first,” he admits. “I was given K9’s For Warriors information through a lady that worked at the VA (Veterans Administration) in Fort Worth, and I literally almost discarded the paper with all the information on it.”
After going to the K9’s For Warriors website, Hampton says he felt compelled to connect with the organization, given its role in helping veterans and first responders get back on their feet.
“The best thing about them, is from the first call that I ever made to them, they were asking how I was doing, not trying to push something on you like a salesman or anything like that,” he says. “They just truly care about you. And that was the biggest thing that sold me on the whole thing.”
With two years of companionship under both Jax and Hamptons’ belts, these two one-time misfits are now living their best lives.
“The services and opportunities afforded to the Warriors are second to none. Keeping this opportunity open for future Warriors is a necessity,” he said. “This place can bring positive light back into their lives.”
