Guided by Resilience
A STORY OF SURVIVAL, GRIT, & THE HUMAN- CANINE BOND
In less than 24 hours, Joe Bogart would pack up and head home after months in the desert.
He scanned the horizon, leading his team on their last route clearance. Mortars, rockets, IEDs, suicide bombers—all still out there, waiting. Just 30 minutes until his troops reached the gate.
Then, an explosion.
Shrapnel punctured the vehicle’s armor and sliced Joe’s protective eyewear, destroying his right eye and causing trauma to his other.
In a flash, his last mission in Iraq became the beginning of a dark battle—learning to live without eyesight, haunted by the trauma of war.
Courage arrived with his first guide dog, Gillian. Determined, Joe petitioned the Army to return to Iraq.
“My commander could have easily just said, ‘No, I’m not taking a blind person to Iraq,’” Joe says. “But I wanted to go. I needed to go.”
He received full clearance and became the first-ever blind soldier to deploy to ground combat. Gillian waited for him back home. When she passed away, Joe felt the deep sting of grief. Mourning her loss, he hesitated, unsure his heart was ready for another dog.
Years went by.
“I realized I had waited too long,” Joe says. “And when I got notified that Dogs Inc had a new dog for me, this old, crusty combat soldier had tears in his eyes. I was so ready.”
Now, playful Pomp—with a happy tail and energetic spirit—knows when to place a soft chin on Joe’s lap and look into his soul with those big brown eyes.
Pomp adventures with Joe and his wife in their RV—sniffing the Pacific breeze, feeling sand beneath his paws, and watching seals and seabirds. He brings peace and calm. With Pomp by his side, Joe finds that resilience is about more than surviving— it’s about finding peace.
Mission of Hope
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