Simonsen, the senior enlisted leader at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury he received while deployed in Afghanistan. He's been working with Yoko, a Black Labrador retriever, in his struggle through it.
“I think sometimes she realizes when I have a particularly tough email that I have to write, she would interrupt me and say, it’s Yoko time, it’s time to pet my belly. And she is usually right," he admits.
Simonsen received Yoko from "Paws for Wounded Warriors", a group that provides therapy dogs to members of the military. Yoko's job: to help Simonsen adjust back home. Yoko can follow more than 90 commands.
Since returning
