Louise Knott Ahern

lkahern@lsj.com

Columnist Louise Knott Ahern has a soft spot for two things: dogs and veterans. A flight attendant with US Airways messed with both.

US Airways was forced to apologize to an Iraq veteran from Williamston this week for the way some of its flight attendants treated his service dog on a recent trip from Florida to Detroit.

And, of all the veterans to mess with, they chose Eric Calley. He's a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq and now spends civilian life advocating on behalf of other returning veterans.

He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has struggled through a world of hurt to get where he is today.

The two things that he says rescued him?

His son and his Sun, a golden-haired little boy and a rescued Doberman specially trained to help veterans with PTSD.

Sun is by his side almost every minute, monitoring Calley's heart rate, his breathing, the tension in his muscles.

At any change in his demeanor, Sun will wedge her snout under his arm to calm him or jump into his lap to put warm pressure on his chest.

If he has a nightmare, she wakes him up with a nudge of her cold nose.

"She was rescued," he says, "to rescue me."

Here's what happened.

It was Dec. 7, and a flight attendant from first class walked back to where he was sitting in coach and repeatedly yelled at him because Sun had put her front paws on an empty seat next to him during some turbulence.

There are witnesses, including another local veteran. Chuck Aaron of Charlotte, who also served in Iraq, was sitting behind Calley.

Aaron said he knew the minute he saw the pair that Calley was a fellow veteran and Sun was likely a PTSD service dog.

He said no one on the flight had any problem with Sun putting her paws on the empty seat. But then the flight attendant appeared and "just started going off about how the dog can't be on the seat and you have to get that dog down."

The flight attendant was so rude that a dozen or so other passengers began to stand up for Calley and filed complaints when they landed, Aaron said.

"He started telling us that he was going to have the police waiting when we landed because we were being hostile," Aaron said. "It was blatant disrespect. I couldn't just sit there and not say something."

US Airways sent Calley a letter this week apologizing because "it appears our airport personnel didn't handle the situation with the quality customer care we expect."

In a statement to the Lansing State Journal, the airline's parent company, American Airlines, said it is "actively responding to the matter."

"We sincerely apologize to Mr. Calley for his experience and thank him for his service to our country," the statement said. "American holds the men and women who serve and who have served our country in the highest regard."

A spokeswoman, Leslie Scott, also said several airline employees -- many of whom are veterans -- volunteer with a program called Puppies in Flight to acclimate service dogs to flying and are aware of the growing need.

She said she couldn't comment on whether any disciplinary action was taken against the flight attendant in question.

"It has certainly been brought to the attention of leadership and has been followed up on," Scott said.

Calley said the apology is insufficient because the flight attendant's behavior was just one of several ways he was mistreated by the airline during the flight.

He said airline employees twice pointed him out to other people as having a medical disability when they were trying to get someone to change seats with him, and he was asked to provide proof that Sun is a service dog.

He said he's speaking out about the incident because he hopes it will raise awareness about a bigger problem -- the lack of recognition about the rights and needs of veterans with PTSD.

"We are going to continue to have this huge influx of new veterans coming back," Calley said. "And it can take a veteran four to five years after getting out to even attempt to get help. The thing I want US Airways to understand is that this is going to be a growing problem. There will be 10 others like me."

Calley, whose brother is Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, was part of the first wave of American troops who invaded Iraq in 2003.

It took several years and a lot of struggle to adjust to normal life after he left the Marines, he says. He battled alcoholism to cope with flashbacks and panic attacks.

His first service dog, Liberty, passed away last year of cancer. A fundraiser earlier this year helped him get Sun. She now goes everywhere with him.

"She helps me just leave the house," he said. "She helps me deal with people. Dogs are 10 times more intuitive than humans. They pick up things way more than we do. If you have a flashback, and say you're dreaming you're overseas and you wake up, you still think you're over there for a while. She helps you get out of that. She brings you back to real time."

Calley said that's the other reason he's speaking out about what happened with the airline.

He wants people to know there is a two-year waiting list in Michigan for veterans who need service dogs, and that list is going to get longer.

"When you get out of the brotherhood of the military, you start feeling odd," he said. "You don't feel like other people. Having a son made me appreciate life again over the last eight years since I've been out. My son, and my dog."

Louise Knott Ahern is a columnist for the Lansing State Journal.

You can help

Eric Calley works with a program called Liberty's Legacy in honor of Calley's first dog to provide more service dogs for Michigan veterans.

Calley said his goal for 2015 is to bring "as many dogs as possible" to Michigan.

You can help.

Liberty's Legacy works with schools to set up penny drives to raise money for veterans who are waiting for dogs. Literally, Calley says, every penny counts.

If you're interested in setting up a penny drive at your local school to sponsor a Michigan veteran, contact Lansing State Journal columnist Louise Knott Ahern at lkahern@lsj.com. She will put you in touch with Eric Calley.