SteelCloud names new service dog for Korean war veteran, MSG Stan Adams.
VMF Partnership Pupdate: Little Stan “embarks” on a heroic mission!
On February 3, 1951, Master Sergeant Stanley Taylor Adams, US Army, was in camp near Seoul Korea. His platoon had set up on a ridge about 200 yards ahead of the rest of the company. Around 11pm, the Chinese pushed back the rest of the company and left Stanley’s platoon surrounded on three sides. Two hours later, 250 Chinese soldiers moved in on Stanley’s troops.
Stanley and 13 other soldiers fixed bayonets and fought back. Intense machine gun and mortar fire ensued for 45 minutes. Stanley was shot in the leg, but he kept fighting. He was knocked to the ground four times by concussion grenades that bounced off his body. But he pressed on. He ordered his men to engage in hand-to-hand combat and downed enemy after enemy with his rifle butt. This platoon of 14 men, led by MSG Adams, killed 50 enemy soldiers that morning and forced the other 200 to retreat. On July 5, 1951, Harry S. Truman presented Adams with the Medal of Honor.
From one hero to another.
Last year, SteelCloud embarked on a lifechanging service project with Veterans Moving Forward. We sponsored the training of a Black Labrador Retriever puppy we now call Big Stan, named for WWII Army Scout, Stan Friday. VMF trains puppies like Big Stan to grow into service dogs that help soldiers in need. Our boy graduated and got his very own veteran firefighter to give emotional support to earlier this year.
So now we are sponsoring a second dog to go through service training for a veteran in need. Along with that, we have the privilege of naming the dog. Because our masbot (mascot+ bot) is called Stan the STIG Man, we like to find a hero named Stan to name our dogs after. That way the hero who receives the dogs we sponsor will have a dog infused with the fighting spirit of another hero. So we’ve named our new “Little Stan” in honor of MSG Stanley Adams.
Meet the new Little Stan.
Little Stan is a chocolate lab puppy who is described as bright eyed, joyful and smart by his trainers. On his two-year journey with VMF, Little Stan will learn to retrieve medications, fetch water bottles, open doors, turn on lights, perform mobility tasks, warn his person about seizures, interrupt nightmares and PTSD episodes, and generally be the best friend a disabled veteran could ever have.
You know SteelCloud as a bunch of tough veterans and cybersecurity professionals, but we have a soft spot for these VMF dogs and the veterans they serve. We feel so privileged to honor heroes from conflicts like Korea and WWII and have their names live on through dogs who will serve other heroes.
Each day, 22 veterans take their own lives, in part because injury, trauma and PTSD take an overwhelming toll. Simply put, VMF’s dogs save lives. If you’d like to support Veterans Moving Forward or sponsor a dog you can name and track throughout their journey, visit Veterans Moving Forward today. It will be the most rewarding journey you can imagine.
