09/19/2026
We have a weekend update from Valor & Victory: Damian and Jared’s Mission
🐾 VALOR & VICTORY: THE DAMIAN & JARED STORY
Sometimes healing comes full circle, and then reaches someone else.
There are moments in this journey that remind me that Damian and I were brought together for something bigger than either one of us.
On September 11, 2026, Damian and I attended the 25th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony of 9/11 at the new Levee Park in Marietta, Ohio. It was a day dedicated to remembering the nearly 3,000 lives taken, honoring the first responders who ran toward danger, and recognizing the service and sacrifice that followed September 11, 2001.
The ceremony was extraordinary.
A special shoutout to Gene Venham, his son Cody Venham, and their families, along with everyone who worked to ensure Washington County delivered a tribute worthy of the magnitude of that day.
More than 30 police and fire departments participated in a solemn silent parade. There were two separate flyovers, helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, and the Marietta Fire Department Boat delivered three powerful water cannon salutes. The ceremony paused at the moments corresponding with the attacks, reminding everyone gathered exactly why we were there.
Marietta Mayor Josh Schlicher joined the remembrance, and DAV Chapter Adjutant and Treasurer David Brown delivered a powerful keynote address.
But something else happened that day that I didn't even know anyone noticed.
Later, I received a message from someone who had observed Damian and me from a distance.
She had seen a woman sitting nearby who was visibly upset, bent forward in her chair, her head in her hands.
I noticed her too, only after Damian alerted me to her.
I leaned over and spoke with her. Then I brought Damian over.
And Damian did what Damian does.
For several minutes, she petted him. She talked to him. He simply stayed there with her, offering that quiet, judgment free presence and love that only a dog seems capable of giving.
I didn't know someone was watching.
I wasn't trying to make a moment.
We were simply trying to help another human through hers.
And maybe that is one of the greatest lessons Damian is teaching me.
For so long, this journey has been about what Damian could do for me, helping me navigate difficult moments, redirecting me when my mind goes somewhere I don't want it to go, grounding me, and helping me find my way back.
But Valor & Victory isn't supposed to end with me.
Today, that became even clearer.
Damian and I had the privilege of visiting Marietta Memorial Hospital, where he had the opportunity to provide comfort and emotional support to Veterans, their families, and hospital staff.
We spent time with two families and their incredible Veterans.
And once again, I watched Damian walk into a room and change it.
A smile.
A hand reaching down to pet him.
A conversation.
A momentary break from whatever burden someone was carrying.
Maybe even a little hope.
That's when it hit me:
The dog who was brought into my life to help me heal is now helping me bring healing to others.
That is Valor & Victory.
Valor isn't the absence of wounds.
It is finding the courage to keep moving while carrying them.
Victory isn't pretending the hard days never happened. It is refusing to let those hard days have the final word.
And perhaps one of the greatest victories of all is reaching a point in your own journey where the hand that once needed to be held becomes the hand reaching out for someone else.
Damian wears the vest as a PTSD Service Dog, when unvested he works as an emotional support animal.
What we're building together is about connection. Compassion. Service. Purpose.
From a solemn September 11th remembrance at Levee Park in Marietta, Ohio to the hallways and rooms of a hospital, Damian continues to show me that sometimes the smallest interaction can make the biggest difference.
We remember. We honor. We serve. We heal.
And then, when we're strong enough…
we help someone else heal too.
This is our journey.
This is Valor & Victory.
Special thank you to Gene Venham for the invite, and to Larry Woods, Denny Gossett, and Brad Webb in being there to support our Veterans!
🐾🇺🇸 Damian & Jared, Forward, together.
