Andres didn’t know how to respond to the person who questioned Sandy’s presence, without becoming enraged, so he said nothing. The encounter left him feeling worthless, and the mind games began again. He looked at everyone as if they were all out to make his life harder. He stopped tak- ing Sandy out in public. He wouldn’t even take her to work with him. “I just felt like I was being judged all the time with Sandy by my side, even though that really wasn’t the case.” Through it all, Sandy remained
ever vigilant, staying close to Andres at home. She followed him every- where. When Andres sat down, Sandy would circle him, turn around and face him. “Then, I would touch her and realize how much better it felt having her close to me.” The couple’s daughters, Gabriela and Camila, also noticed the change in their father when he was with Sandy. “Eventually, I realized I had to
drop the macho attitude, and start listening to others, especially my family. I finally got the nerve to take Sandy back to work with me. And, you know what? All of my co-work- ers told me it was about freaking time!” Andres continued to miss the
camaraderie he had while in the Air Force, and struggled without, what he felt, was a higher purpose. Then he received a phone call from a doctor at Offutt Air Force Base. “He told me that they’d and
reviewed my medical evaluation board paperwork and I was a candi- date for the Wounded Warrior Program. They told me I could be part of their family. And, that’s when my attitude changed. I didn’t feel alone. I felt like I was going to be part of something again.” Months passed before Rodriguez
was finally admitted. He is grateful to the program coordinators who helped him with the paperwork. “Just when I was about to slip back down the rabbit hole, a caregiver would call and ask how I was doing.” Finally, Andres was reaching the
peace he had been searching for since he was forced to medically retire. Continued on following pageg THE NEW BARKER 37
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