The Amazing Story of a Wounded Warrior and the Dog that Brought Him Back to Life
By Heidi Dahms Foster
I always say I won’t read dog books because the stories get me right in the gut and I shed buckets of tears on my Kindle. But A Dog Called Hope by Jason Morgan and Damien Lewis is an outstanding read, and despite the usual copious tears, has so much to inspire both veterans and those who truly want a cause to rally behind.
Author and veteran Jason Morgan served as an Air Force Weather Specialist with the 10th Combat Weather Squadron, a Special Forces unit, before joining the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). In A Dog Called Hope, he and co-author Damien Lewis tell Morgan’s gripping story of a horrific military vehicle accident while he was on a detail in Ecuador.
The vehicle slid off a road while being pursued by drug cartel operators, and rolled numerous times down a steep hillside, ejecting Morgan and rolling atop him. It was only because he landed in a swamp that Morgan lived – the land had some give when the vehicle rolled over him. His injuries were so grievous that at first, he could remember nothing of that time. Later, though, the memories came rushing back at the most inopportune times, nearly crushing him every time.
Morgan, the super fit, courageous warrior who had climbed to the military’s elite, was now in a wheelchair. His wife left him with three young boys to raise. He suffered with unbelievable pain and emotions that he didn’t know how to deal with.
That’s when a beautiful black Labrador named Napal came into the picture.
Morgan and Lewis expertly weave the story of Napal’s puppy raiser, a man with disabilities himself who brought great understanding of what was needed in a service dog, and who has raised several puppies for Canine Companions for Independence, and Morgan, who wasn’t sure how a dog would help, but out of desperation, checked into CCI.
After going through the process of interviews and education, Morgan was approved for the dog, and met Napal. The dog was chosen for him by trainers who evaluated his needs and fitted him with the dog that would best meet those needs. It was a perfect match, and that’s a story for you to read.
Napal helped Morgan connect again with his children, his life, and other people, so much so that his experiences led him to become a Paralympic athlete, and a powerful advocate for service dogs for veterans, and disability awareness.
Find A Dog Called Hope at Amazon in Kindle, audiobook, hardcover or paperback. You won’t regret it!
