ALCON-

My name is MAJ Fernando Montoya and I am a Staff officer with the 25th Infantry Division here at Schofield. John “Jack” Bradshaw is a 25th Infantry Division Viet Nam veteran who suffers from PTSD. Recently, his therapy dog Bandit became very ill and almost had to be put to sleep. While Bandit is on the road to a slow recovery, the financial burden on his “parent” Jack has been great; several support groups have tried to assist them and I have personally made financial contributions to Bandit’s treatment but the medical bills now exceed $2K. Bandit has been with the therapy group Heavenly Healing Paws and Battle Buddies for the past year, and has been a wonderful support not only to the veterans at the Loma Linda VA but also as a registered service dog for his “dad” Jack.

Any assistance you provide will be greatly appreciated; Jack’s contact information is alaskacbmf@aol.com or you may contact me directly at f_montoya@hotmail.com or fernando.montoya@us.army.mil. I sincerely hope that this organization will be able to help out Bandit so that he can go back to the VA where the patients, some of which are 25th ID Veterans, and staff are already missing him.


MAJ Fernando Montoya
U.S. Army

We are happy to report that a year has gone by, and our Bandit has recovered nicely. He had a 5% chance of surviving, and showed that he still had much to do here, and beat the odds. Although he has liver damage from his illness, he is on medication, and the most recent test showed that his liver function is normal. He continues to visit the VA hospital twice weekly, with other Therapy Dog pals, and spreads his calm and joyful spirit with others. We have produced a video of some of his visits with his pals, and here is the link to view it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOGZ8qSJ8tg

We hope you'll enjoy watching Bandit and the other dogs spending time with our soldiers, their families, and staff. Our friend, Fernando, who originally posted his message is experiencing some difficulties of his own, and we hope that you'll keep him and his family in your prayers for good news and speedy recovery. Jack, Bandit's Dad, is a Vietnam Veteran ('67-'68) in the 25th I.D., 2/22nd Reg. He tries everyday to overcome the symptoms of PTSD, and mobility issues, and Bandit is such a support to him. Bandit is so good at what he does, he is actually part of the medical treatment at the hospital for patients suffering from PTSD. We are on call to come spend time with patients that the doctors feel can benefit from his presence. Often people don't understand what comfort and help the service dogs can provide to alleviate some of the symptoms of PTSD, and after spending time with Bandit, if they are able, will often begin the process of getting their own service dog. We have a system of contacts and programs that can help them on their own road to recovery, with the help of their own service dog. God Bless our Military and Veterans! Carol & Jack Bradshaw and BANDIT