Linda Yingling & SC Tina

From the time that I was in the third grade, my dream was to become a Registered Nurse. I did all the right things to make my dream come true. I began volunteering as a Candy Striper at age thirteen and continued doing so through high school. During my senior year of high school, I was accepted into nursing school and my parents promised me to send me. When the time approached to prepare for that new and exciting adventure, my parents pulled the plug, saying that they didn’t have the money. I was devastated.

After much prayer, I enlisted in the United States Navy. I became a Navy Corps Wave. My Naval experience included working in a Navy Hospital at Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago, Illinois. My responsibilities were caring for active duty servicemen who were wounded during the Vietnam War. After I completed my duty, I was sent to Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I was assigned to work in the hospital’s Labor and Delivery Unit, and occasionally, the Naval Prison.

After being honorably discharged, I returned to my hometown and entered nursing school to receive a diploma as a Licensed Practical Nurse. My schooling was paid for with the G.I. Bill.

It would be sixteen years later when I was accepted into the Registered Nursing program at Lorain County Community College, graduating in the Spring of 1986. I retired from the Nursing profession in 1994 because of my deteriorating physical health. (At 23 years of age, I had been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an incurable, debilitating, deforming, yet treatable chronic disease. Throughout my journey, I’ve had fifteen joint replacements to attempt to relieve pain and allow me to function.)

I have faced tremendous adversities, but they haven’t slowed me down. I recently graduated with a Doctoral degree in Ministry at age sixty-eight. While completing my education, I lost most of my eyesight.

In retrospect, my years in the Navy were the most challenging and beautiful years of my life. The training that I received was far beyond what I expected, and certainly prepared me for future educational opportunities. I also realized that when other women were wearing love beads, I wore dog tags, proudly and with honor.

My husband Gary is also a Veteran. He served from 1968-1972 at Taegu Air Force Base in South Korea and Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii. Our son, Brent, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1988-1992. He was stationed in Iceland for one year. Then he served during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

After waiting for two years, in February, I graduated and received Tina, a skilled companion service dog from Canine Companions for Independence. Tina and I have a fabulous working relationship. Tina has changed my life in countless ways, most assuredly, she had given me independence. At graduation, my husband and I received special medals under the Veterans Initiative.

The staff at Canine Companions are highly trained professionals who dedicate their lives to helping people like me. I can’t thank them enough.