DVD Review: To be of Service

To Be of Service, a documentary* by Josh Aronson, 2019, 87 minutes

Whether the title of this documentary refers to those who went to war or to the dogs who help save them when they returned home, this is a striking film, long overdue - fascinating, educational, and yes, you may even shed a tear.

To Be of Service

Follow several veterans from across the nation as they explain their PTSD (post-traumatic stress disease), and how it came about, how it affected both them and their family, and how their service dog (SD) changed their life.

Follow the five SD organizations who trained the dogs to save a life.

One soldier who was called up as a reservist to deploy to Iraq as a journalist was Sylvia who now shares her life with service dog black lab Timothy. Sylvia lived through numerous rocket attacks and witnessed injuries and deaths. Today she is happily married.

Greg and his service dog Valor, a golden retriever, live in New York. Trained by ECAD (Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities) in Connecticut, Valor helps Greg get out of the house and live life to his fullest every day. The former infantryman saw too much violence in Iraq but now has come around, thanks to his canine Battle Buddy.

Phil lost a leg in a helicopter accident and still has nightmares but along with his successor SD Champ (short for Champagne), he takes one day at a time. Champ licks him awake if he has another nightmare.

And, perhaps because of Josh Aronson's To Be of Service, the VA now provides service dogs to veterans, a change that has been a long time in coming. Although it is just a pilot program, it will change the lives of many and the hope is that it will become permanent.

(photo credits: Josh Aronson)

*currently on Netflix