Albert and TIP

Albert Merkley received his Therapeutic Interactive Pet in November 2019. His caregiver said he was so excited, he even takes it to church. Born in 1926 into a family of 10 kids, Albert grew up on a farm in the Jasper IN area. Depression era and a large family made life very difficult.

Albert enlisted in the Navy in 1944, serving for 2 years. Speaking of his time in the Navy, he said “I’m glad I did it, I feel good about it.  I was trying to do my duty. I was in the middle of helping something get done. But I knew a lot of people that did not come home. People I went to school with, people I went to church with. They were part of our community family, gone. That’s life, I guess”.

A recent highlight for Albert was going on an Honor Flight in 2015. “Seeing the war memorials was wonderful, and the crowd of 2,000 people welcoming us home  was amazing.”

Thank you Albert for your service all those years ago.