Back in 1991, Dick was living on his Boulder ranch in the Amazon. He had retired from the Navy after serving around the world, including five tours of duty in Vietnam. And he had recently adopted a wild Mustang and had taken it to the Fairgrounds to saddle-break it.
Although he was alone that day, Dick felt comfortable continuing the horse’s long training process. At some point, though, the horse reared up, throwing Dick to the ground and stomping his upper torso. The most critical of his injuries was to his head, causing a stroke which put him in a coma. Unfortunately, the Fairgrounds were unoccupied that day; no one witnessed the accident, and Dick lay where he fell until the following day.
Finally, he was transported to the hospital, where his family was told he wouldn’t survive. For 30 days, he lay in a coma as doctors worked to treat his punctured lung and broken back as well as the head injury he had sustained. Miraculously, through medical intervention and his own stubborn determination, Dick managed to survive. He set out to relearn the simplest of life’s tasks.
Three years later, in 1994, Dick and I crossed paths. I was a Special Education teacher at Jefferson High School at the time, and we dated for seven years before marrying. In 2006, I began a teaching career with the Department of Defense, and we moved to Vilseck, Germany. It was here that Dick found his calling.
Although the Vilseck Army Post was an international training base, a clinic opened to treat Mild Traumatic Brain Inury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and PTSD in U.S. servicemen and women. Like any Montana boy, Dick always had a dog and Lucy, his Golden Retriever, had traveled with us to Germany, where she was trained through the Red Cross to be a therapy dog.
Never one to sit around, Dick began looking for ways to keep busy and contribute while Pat was teaching. So he and Lucy came upon the opportunity to work at the TBI clinic, where they both thrived. This became Dick’s passion — and while helping to heal others, he healed himself. In due time, another therapy dog, a Corgi named Teagen, joined the family and became, like Dick, a fixture at the clinic.
During his time at the clinic, Dick and his girls received many commendations for their work. Here’s what Dr. Natalia Whitman, the clinic’s former medical director, wrote:
“[At the time,] soldiers were actively deploying to military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many were coming back with bodily injuries, persistent headaches, memory problems and psychological trauma.
“Dutifully, for almost 10 years, [Dick] came to the MTBI clinic every day accompanied by his therapy service dogs, Lucy and Teagen. Together, they greeted soldiers with a smile and a friendly handshake. [Dick] talked to service members, listened to their stories, gave encouragement and shared advice.
“Soldiers were drawn to him, recognizing his compassion and wisdom. Countless times, [they] expressed gratitude about generosity of his spirit and his kindness. He quickly became the face of the MTBI clinic, bringing smile and warmth into people’s lives.
“Only after his passing, we learned about the depth of his integrity and humility, as he had never mentioned his own previous high military achievements: At 17 years of age, he joined the Navy as a boatswain’s mate, and through the years he served on SEAL teams, becoming a Master Diver and attained the rank of Master Chief. He worked for NASA in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator in Huntsville, Alabama, at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
“RIP [Dick]… we will never forget your selfless service to our soldiers in Vilseck Mild Traumatic Brain Injury clinic. You gave advice and encouragement where it was most needed. You were so generous. Your Lucy girl must be meeting you already, wagging her tail.”
