Marine veteran Larry’s story begins long before Forest found his way to the front door. He served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1996–2000, re-enlisted after 9/11, and deployed twice to Iraq as an infantry rifleman. On April 26, 2005, an IED blast killed a close friend and sent Larry to the hospital for nearly two weeks—yet he returned to finish the deployment for his squad. He was later awarded a Purple Heart for his sacrifice and service. “My second deployment was really rough. We lost 48 Marines,” he says. Coming home, he realized the hardest battles weren’t behind him. “The hard part was coming home… I was lost.”
The Match—Finding Putnam Service Dogs
For years, the idea of a service dog for veterans sat in the background. Life was full—his son’s baseball games, work, family—and the timing never felt right. Then he started seeing other veterans talk about service dogs, and he reached out to Putnam Service Dogs. What followed felt like a door opening at the exact right moment. “I got lucky with Forest—better than any other solution I found,” Larry says. The day Forest was placed with him landed almost exactly on the 20th anniversary of the blast. “I felt like my friend was looking out for me.”
From Warfighter to “Battle Buddy” Again
Forest is steady, observant, an old soul who’s happiest doing the simple things—morning walks, country music on the radio, early lights-out at 10pm. Larry laughs that when the vest goes on, Forest “puts his cape on.” The superpower isn’t flashy; it’s presence.
Crowded aisles and noisy spaces that used to tighten Larry’s chest began to loosen. “It makes me do things I hate to do—if I do it with Forest, I don’t mind it. Like the supermarket or any place with a lot of people.”
The dog changed Larry’s days from the inside out. He leaves work at lunch because Forest is waiting. They walk the neighborhood, visit Larry’s mom, hit a park—sometimes two. “He gives me purpose,” Larry says. “I’ve gotta get up—he’s always happy when he sees me […] I am less alone. I have a buddy back.” The routine nudged sleep back into place and added quiet structure to the hours that once stretched. “My club is the park now,” he jokes. And the impact radiates through his family: during a hard summer with a relative’s stroke, Forest moved gently among nieces, nephews, and elders—with the same calm he brings Larry.
What Veterans Day Means Now
Ask Larry what this day holds and he pauses. “I think about all my friends I served with—those we lost and those still here,” he says. Early on, memory pulled him toward everything that hurt. Now, walking with Forest, it leans toward gratitude. “I think about the good times more,” he says. He wants other veterans to know this path exists—and to consider it sooner. “I wish more of my friends had this. It’d be the best thing for them.”
Larry won’t let the praise land only on Forest. He points back to the people who made the match possible. “Putnam Service Dogs is a great organization,” he said,”Nancy told me she gave me a Lamborghini—Forest is better than a Lamborghini.”
And from the start, Putnam’s training focused on setting Larry and Forrest up for success. Larry and Forest trained with Melissa in real-world settings, building skills and confidence together—and he’s deeply grateful for her steady coaching as well as Forest’s puppy raiser Nick (PSD’s 2025 Volunteer of the Year) whom he frequently shares photos of Forest with.
This Veterans Day, Larry and Forest will do what they do best: step outside, set an easy pace, and meet the day as it comes. The vest will go on; the world will feel a little wider. Service taught Larry how to lead and to finish what he started. Today, Forest helps him live the part that comes after—with purpose, presence, and peace.
Nancy Teague, the founder of Putnam Service Dogs, is a dedicated advocate who embodies the mission of the organization every single day. Alongside the passionate individuals who have joined the cause, she works tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of both people and dogs. With an unwavering commitment to championing service dogs, Nancy understands the transformative power that occurs when a service dog is matched with its recipient, forging a remarkable team.
