AW2 Veteran and Advocate Clay Rankin with Archie

Update: Archie recently passed away, but he will never be forgotten by Clay and the AW2 Family. Click here to read a very touching blog entry from Clay’s wife, Stephanie Rankin, on the impact Archie left on their Family and the AW2 community.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) named AW2 Veteran Clayton Rankin’s dog the society’s “Dog of the Year” during their Humane Awards Luncheon last week in New York City according to the Charleston Gazette.

Rankin was injured while serving in Iraq and he suffered severe brain and spinal cord injuries, which make it difficult for him to walk. When he returned to Colorado after recovering from his injuries, he lost his business as a private investigator and lost his home. Rather than give up, Rankin worked with his AW2 Advocate to begin to rebuild his life.

Rankin found hope in a 4-year-old black Labrador retriever that he received from Patriot Paws. Archie helps Rankin with everything from assisting him with getting out of bed to picking up the mail.

Perhaps most importantly, Archie provides Rankin with emotional support and the ability to reconnect and engage with people who had previously solely focused on his injuries instead of seeing him as a person according to the article in the Charleston Gazette:

People would focus on the injury and “what happened to me,” Rankin said.

Archie redirects that focus, he said.

“People quit asking me what happened, and instead ask about Archie,” he said. “He became this social bridge.”

In 2005, Rankin moved from Colorado to West Virginia and in 2008 he joined the program that helped him rebuild his life and to continue his service to our country by becoming an AW2 Advocate. In his interview with the Charleston Gazette, Rankin credits Archie for enabling him to perform his job at AW2:

In 2005, Rankin moved to West Virginia to become an advocate for the Army Wounded Warrior Program. He works with soldiers in each of West Virginia’s four VA medical centers.

It’s a job Rankin doesn’t think he could handle without Archie by his side.

“To be honest, I think they hired Archie,” he said. “I just get to hang out with him.”

Rankin spends the majority of his time at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, where Archie has gained a bit of a “rock star” status.

“Everybody knows about Archie, don’t ask them about Clay Rankin,” he joked.

Click here to read the rest of the Rankin’s interview about Archie with the Charleston Gazette.

Just about everyone at AW2 has met Clay Rankin and Archie at some point, and I can confirm that Archie has achieved rock-star status in our organization as well. However, the real reason that Archie has achieved that status is that he is paired with an owner who cares about his Soldiers, Veterans, and Families just as much as Archie cares about him. Both Archie and Rankin have huge hearts and the AW2 program congratulates both of them on Archie being named ASPCA’s “Dog of the Year.”

Congratulations to both of you and thank you for the support that you provide to AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families!

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