From rmsdp.org
NORTH LOGAN — IGY 6 is a phrase that apparently hearkens back to World War I that means ‘I’ve Got Your Six’ which is what one fighter pilot would say to another – saying they are behind them and watching their back, their blind spot, their 6 o’clock.
Likewise the Rocky Mountain Service Dog Project is sponsoring an event this next Tuesday in North Logan, that aspires to have the backs of veterans and first responders when it comes to PTSD(Post-traumatic stress disorder).
On KVNU’s For the People program on Wednesday, project founder Raelene Penman talked about how the event came about.
“It was actually a veteran who had gone into a local restaurant, and had an incident with her service dog, and the establishment- they didn’t understand the rules behind what happens with people with PTSD. So while she was on the phone with me going through this and obviously having it trigger her PTSD. We were talking about ‘I’ve got your six, don’t worry about this. I’m coming, we’ll help, we’ll help them understand and educate them,’” Penman explained.
She said that’s when she realized that the public really doesn’t understand Post-traumatic stress disorder that can affect people of all walks of life.
“And they don’t realize, yes it affects first responders and veterans, but it also affects the general public. They can have some incident happen to them that causes them such traumatic stress that they get anxiety walking into a store or anxiety when they hear somebody talk a certain way. There’s a lot of things..it’s quite surprising how many people actually do suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The event is from noon to 9p.m. at Elk Ridge Park and is for everyone, not just those dealing with PTSD. At the event, you can meet some service dogs and service puppies in training.
Also they’ll have a bounce house, games, a live band, food trucks and more. For more information on the Rocky Mountain Service Dog Project visit RMSDP.org.