Iraq war veteran combats loneliness with feline battle buddy

9/11 rescuer and Iraq war veteran combats loneliness with feline battle buddy
Pets for Patriots

When the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11, Steven left his home in Chicago to join the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero for three weeks, an experience that inspired him to enlist in the Army. But it was a four-legged, feline battle buddy that helped him combat the loneliness of his post-military life.

While in the Army, Steven served as a Blackhawk crew chief for six years, and flew more than 1,000 hours over Iraq over the course of two deployments. Despite being twice deployed, his most memorable military experience occurred stateside.

Following the 2010 mass shooting at Fort Hood, the helo chief was selected to fly the Secret Service Counter Assault Team over President Obama when the Commander in Chief visited shooting victims on base.

Before his service in the military, Steven enjoyed a career as a firefighter and paramedic. The Army veteran returned home following his tours of duty and enrolled full-time as a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he hopes to attend their medical school after graduation. In search of a four-legged battle buddy

Having enjoyed the company of his Army buddies for a decade, Steven sometimes felt lonely living in Chicago; he decided to adopt a pet to make sure he had a friend to come home to at the end of the day. “I wanted a companion that would allow for my place to feel less empty when I was the only one home.”

Steven found that companion at Chicago’s Anti-Cruelty Society in June 2012, when he honorably adopted Simon, a three year-old tabby cat. As a Pets for Patriots member, the Army veteran received a 10% discount and access to discounted care for Simon from the charity’s local veterinary partners. In addition, he received a generous contribution from the Pets for Patriots Veterans’ Pet Food Bank program to help with food and other necessities for his new companion.
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