Iowa veteran invited as guest to State of the Union

WAVERLY, Iowa (KCRG) – Hours earlier than his flight to Washington, D.C. for the 2023 State of the Union, Trent Dirks mentioned, “That is in all probability the largest second of my life.”

Dirks shall be a visitor of Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA2) at Tuesday’s handle.

Dirks works for Retrieving Freedom in Waverly, a facility that trains service canine for veterans and kids with autism. Earlier than working there, he was a volunteer, and earlier than that, he visited the ability and located his service canine, Tracer.

Tracer helps Dirks face life with post-traumatic stress dysfunction.

“It’d be easy as standing behind me after I’m trying out at Walmart and type of leaning into the again of my leg in order that I do know no one’s arising behind me and pushing the cart into my again or attacking me,” Dirks mentioned.

“He began giving me some hope,” Dirks added. “Instantly after I met him, there was just a little bit of sunshine on the finish of the tunnel.”

Dirks spent near a decade within the Military Nationwide Guard, together with a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010. It was after he was medically retired he discovered Retrieving Freedom.

“I made a decision to cease by and be taught what service canine may do for any person who struggles mentally and emotionally with signs of despair, anxiousness, panic assaults, PTSD, nightmares,” Dirks mentioned.

His work for the nonprofit includes elevating consciousness of the group.

“I truly gave Congresswoman Hinson a tour of this identical facility about two years in the past,” Dirks mentioned. “And we’ve stayed in contact since. And I suppose I made a ok impression on her to affix her on the State of the Union.”

Dirks leaves for the Capitol on Monday morning for what he calls a once-in-a-lifetime expertise. He considers his invitation to the State of the Union to even be an opportunity to share his story.

“I simply understand how a lot I struggled, and what I’ve been via and what I went via,” Dirks mentioned. “I don’t wish to see different veterans and kids with autism wrestle as a lot as I did. And so if I can assist just a little bit—somebody to wrestle much less or don’t wrestle so long as I do, or forestall them from hurting themselves, then, you recognize, that’s my objective is, I simply wish to assist individuals.”

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