Michael and Nugget

Veterans’ Day is for celebrating the sacrifices our troops have made for this country, but on this Veterans’ Day it brought together an American hero and his forever companion, Nugget.

E-5 Sergeant Michael Gaskill has served in the Marine Corps in both Desert Storm and most recently in Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Alpha 160 Company. Both tours took physical and emotional tolls. Sergeant Gaskill blew out his knee in Iraq when an IED exploded and threw him from his gunner’s position; he has also sustained numerous back and neck injuries. In addition, he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, headaches and blurry vision.

Michael met Nugget at the Veterans’ Day celebration in Los Alamitos, when Pets for Vets and members of Animal Advocates Alliance brought some dogs for adoption by veterans who were looking for companion animals.

The moment Sergeant Gaskill met a small Chihuahua named Nugget he was smitten. Nugget had been through quite a lot in her short two years. She was abandoned at the Baldwin Park shelter where she was terrified, cowered in her kennel and was severely undernourished. She was rescued from certain death by Animal Advocates Alliance, fostered and nursed back to health.

Sergeant Gaskill knew that Nugget would make the perfect companion to take for walks, go to the beach, snuggle up on the couch to watch TV and bring joy into his life.

Seeing little Nugget being cradled by this big burly Marine Corp Sergeant brought a warm smile to everyone’s face.

He hopes that every veteran who can, will rescue a companion animal, “they have gone through what we have gone through, if we can heal, they can heal?” he says!

Please support our heroes every day not just on Veterans’ Day. Help Pets for Vets show them that we have not forgotten!