A Tail of Two Stans
Last year, SteelCloud “embarked” on a lifechanging service project with Veterans Moving Forward. We sponsored the training of a Black Labrador Retriever puppy named Big Stan so he could learn the skills needed to provide support to a veteran in need. And now we have two exciting new “pupdates” to make!
First, a little background. VMF is a nonprofit that trains and provides service dogs to veterans free of charge. SteelCloud not only employs many veterans, a great deal of the work we do is with the service community. So VMF is a natural fit for us. Sponsorship is a two-year journey as a dog moves from puppyhood to a highly trained service animal that monitors medical conditions, reduces anxiety, helps with mobility issues and, ultimately, offers companionship to a veteran in need.
Big Stan has a graduation day.
One of the honors of sponsoring a service dog is that you get to name him. Our first service dog, “Big” Stan, was named for Stanley Friday, an Army Scout in the 80th Infantry Division during World War II who, on several occasions, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Germans. On D-Day, Friday went out ahead of the rest to scope out danger and witnessed two Nazi concentration camps before they were liberated. He earned more than 30 medals during his service, including four Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.
Big Stan the dog has been through just shy of a year of training, and, during that time, he was recognized as having strong emotional support qualities. In fact, his emotional support talents exceeded his therapy and full-service talents, meaning Big Stan could move on to service faster as an emotional support animal.
Big Stan recently graduated as an emotional support dog and went home with Fran Gambardella, a retired NYPD officer who was one of the first responders on-scene at the Twin Towers on 9/11. He and Stan visited our offices on the day he picked Stan up for a small “sendoff” gathering as we said goodbye to the Big Stan we’d come to love over the past year. Stan and Fran will now be a forever team, conducting investigations together in Pittsburgh, PA. We are so proud of our boy!
Meet Little Stan, our new hero in the making!
With Big Stan graduating and leaving home, we now have a new dog through VMF. Little Stan is a Chocolate Labrador Retriever named for Sgt. First Class Stanley T. Adams. By now, you must be wondering about “Stan”. It’s not a coincidence we name our dogs Stan. Our Steelcloud “masbot” (mascot + bot) is named Stan the STIG Man. Both Stans provide support for people with heroic pursuits. But as cute as our bot is, he can’t match the tail wiggles and kisses of Little Stan.
Little Stan’s namesake, Sgt. Stan Adams, was a Korean War veteran who went ahead of his company with 13 other soldiers to face an enemy troop of 250. He was wounded in the leg, then knocked down four times by concussion grenades that bounced off his body. He then engaged in hand-to-hand combat. He and his comrades killed 50 enemy soldiers and forced the rest to retreat that day. Sgt. Adams won the Medal of Honor for his valor.
Little Stan will carry that fighting spirit with him as he begins his two-year journey with VMF, learning how to perform tasks to mitigate their human’s disability. This may include retrieving medications, fetching water bottles, opening doors, turning on lights, performing mobility tasks, warning his person about seizures, interrupting nightmares and PTSD episodes, and generally being the best friend a veteran could ever have.
Continuing the “Tail of Stan” at SteelCloud.
Each day, 22 veterans take their own lives, in part because injury, trauma and PTSD take an overwhelming toll. These are men and women who risked everything to keep us free and safe. VMF’s dogs not only make life more manageable for our veterans, but they also save lives.
If you ever want to see a bunch of big, tough cybersecurity experts wax misty about something, bring up Big Stan and Little Stan. It’s one thing to say how much of a privilege it is to be part of veteran’s journey, but another to see it all come full circle with Stan and Fran. As we begin a new journey with Little Stan, we can’t wait to see where it leads.
If you want so support Veterans Moving Forward or sponsor a dog you can name and track throughout their journey, visit Veterans Moving Forward today.
