Today’s Star Spangled Salute honors Veteran service dog Kaya and her Veteran person Cole Lyle. Kaya promoted the PAWS act in 2017, which is intended to give Veterans easier access to service dogs. She was also matched with Cole at a time he needed her most. “When I got out of the military I was 22 years old, and I tried to utilize the VA system,” Cole said. “I took pills and even went to counseling, but my symptoms seemed to stagnate or get worse. Concurrent with getting out of the military, I had a couple friends commit suicide as a result of post-traumatic stress and I was also experiencing a divorce.” Cole went on to say,“When Kaya came into my life, I felt responsible for her care. The responsibility of taking care of Kaya helped me regain a sense of purpose, which is something pills could not do for me.” Cole said the bond was life changing. Throughout her career, Kaya flew over 250 times to help establish the PAWS Act which united Veterans with service dogs. Just last week, Kaya took her last flight home to where she was born, which is where she will cross the rainbow bridge after being diagnosed with a terminal cancer. Thank you Kaya for taking care of Cole and so many other Veterans and THANK YOU Kaya and Cole for your service.
@southwestair We were honored to fly our loyal friend and hero, Kaya, home to rest after a lifetime of hard work. Throughout her career, Kaya flew with us over 250 times to help establish the PAWS Act which united Veterans with service dogs. We are so grateful to be a part of her legacy, and we thank her and her owner, Cole, for their many years of service. ❤️
