QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY, Md. — A Queen Anne’s County Marine Corps veteran says it took more than a decade after returning home from war for the emotional wounds of combat to finally break through. But with help from the VA and a service dog named Sal he says he’s found his way back to the father and husband he always hoped to be.
Paul Sullivan was a college student in 2003, watching the Iraq invasion unfold on television, when he felt a deep pull to serve. He joined the Marine Corps that summer, deployed to Iraq in 2005, and later transitioned into a career in law enforcement. Sullivan said the mission, the structure, and the fast pace all felt familiar.
While he left the career physically unscathed, some scars were invisible.
Sullivan says he spent years pushing down trauma from both combat and policing. He focused on work, then on raising his growing family. But in 2017, while having lunch with his five-year-old son at a Mission BBQ, everything changed. As the restaurant played its daily noon national anthem, his son asked a question about 9/11 and about his father's service in Iraq.
"He says, well, you should have just captured them and been nice to people, and it was just like...," said Sullivan.
Although he was five and Sullivan knew he didn't understand, he snapped.
“I yelled at him and just thought, ‘I need help. I have a problem,’” he said.
That moment brought him to the VA. For the first time, he began opening up to a therapist. That therapist mentioned America’s VetDogs, a national nonprofit that pairs service dogs with veterans suffering from PTSD, mobility issues, and other challenges.
That’s where Sullivan met Sal, a black Lab who would become a turning point not only for him, but for his entire family.
Having Sal gave Sullivan something he says he didn’t realize he was missing: responsibility, routine, and grounding. In crowded spaces, instead of scanning every exit or worrying about where he sat, his focus shifted to Sal, and Sal’s focus stayed on him.
The dog also helps interrupt nightmares, provides comfort during moments of anxiety, and instinctively nudges Sullivan back into the present when he spirals.
“I’m happier now. I’m more in the moment. I’m less irritable. I’m getting better sleep,” Sullivan said. “That’s what Sal has done for us.”
He says the difference at home has been profound. From coaching youth hockey to volunteering with a veterans’ Warriors hockey team, Sullivan feels more engaged and more present than he’s been in years. His wife and four children were immediately supportive, and the family adjusted to sharing life with a service dog inside school halls, sports facilities, and everyday routines.
As Sullivan’s mental health improved, so did the home around him.
“When you start to get help for yourself, you realize how much it helps the people around you,” he said. “You start to see your family start to come back.”
Now retired from policing and a full-time stay-at-home dad, he calls this stage of life the happiest he’s ever been, something he once believed he’d never feel again.
He hopes other veterans hearing his story know they don’t have to wait for a breaking point.
“It’s OK to not be OK,” Sullivan said. “Find someone to talk to. A therapist, a friend, an organization — anyone who understands it. Getting help was the best thing for me and for my family.”
America's VetDogs, which was founded by Guide Dog Foundation, is a nonprofit that serves the needs of disabled veterans who served our country.