Today’s Star Spangled Salute honors Sage, a 3-year-old female yellow Labrador retriever, the first dog to deploy with the aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford and it’s crew , through a pilot program meant to address mental health and resiliency. The Virginia-based nonprofit Mutts with a Mission trained Sage and loaned her to the crew for the deployment. The dog will comfort sailors and is trained to help them cope with operational stress. Cmdr. Genevieve Clark, the chaplain for the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group said, “One of the positives of having Sage aboard the ship is her help in breaking down some barriers to utilizing mental, emotional and spiritual resiliency resources. “Sailors are coming to more warrior toughness events and improving their morale through the vast network of resiliency resources the ship offers, with Sage now present at these opportunities.” Good dog Sage and to all the sailors on board the Gerald R. Ford, thank you for your service.
