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" They do not ask for thanks. They do not ask for credit. They just do their job. They just keep us alive. In 2008, Air Force veteran and combat photographer Stacy Pearsall was at her local V.A. hospital awaiting treatment. She was 28 and had been wounded multiple times by roadside bombs in Iraq, where she completed two tours as a combat photographer with the Air Force. Seated next to her was an older gentleman, who leaned over to her and asked, &amp;quot;Are you taking your grandpa to his doctor&amp;#039;s appointment?&amp;quot; She credits the conversation with this man, a WWII veteran who liberated concentration camps, with helping her find meaning in her recovery. &amp;quot;I realized I may not be able to serve my country anymore, but I could still serve my community of veterans.&amp;quot; That&amp;#039;s why Pearsall launched The Veterans Portrait Project, which she calls &amp;quot;my therapy, my new mission in life, my new identify.&amp;quot; She has since photographed thousands of veterans, relying on crowd funding and sponsorship to keep the project going. &amp;quot;Each veteran [I have photographed],&amp;quot; says Pearsall, &amp;quot;has put me one step closer to healing. They&amp;#039;re the reason I&amp;#039;m still here, and I can&amp;#039;t thank them enough.&amp;quot;  In recent years, Pearsall began including military working dogs and service dogs (and pet dogs of veterans) in the portraits. They are another sort of safeguard and security. &amp;quot;On my last deployment,&amp;quot; recalls Pearsall, &amp;quot;my sleeping quarters were right around the corner from the kennels. When I wasn&amp;#039;t on operation, I&amp;#039;d slip over there just to say hi. The dogs were my bit of sanity in all the chaos. Sadly, just like many of the soldiers I worked with, they too suffered from the impacts of war. We all come home changed by what we experience, and that is no different for the military working dog. They&amp;#039;re right there when it all happens too and deserve recognition for saving countless lives, including mine.&amp;quot;  Air Force Senior Airman, Kevin Sablan and Military Working Dog Ares  Military Working Dog Rocco  Army Staff Sgt. Robert Henline and his pet Yorkie, Charlie  Military Working Dog Luigi  Army Staff Sgt. Joy L. Smith and Service Dog Bauer  Military Working Dog Rocky  Air Force Senior Airman Candace Colburn and Military Working Dog Kormi  Military Working Dog Jany  Navy Petty Officer First Class Leo Scott, with his pet chihuahua  Military Working Dog Sonja  Army Sgt. Major Anthony Archer and Service Dog Sapper  Military Working Dog Bono  Air Force Staff Sgt. Brad Pousha and Military Working Dog Venice  Air Force Staff Sgt. David Cope and Military Working Dog Fredy  Air Force Staff Sgt. William Slifer and Military Working Dog Rocky "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a31920/stacy-pearsall-veterans-dogs-photos/>