Cover photo: Ava, a resident shih tzu of Paws of War (Credit – Matt Meduri)
As the county with the largest Veterans population in the state, and second-largest in the country, Suffolk County regularly makes Veterans care, resources, and remembrance a priority.
Suffolk is also home to such venerable community groups, one of which is based right in Nesconset.
Paws of War was started by Rob Miseri (pictured below) in 2014. With the mission of “helping both ends of the leash,” Paws of War aims to connect Veterans, service members, and first responders with service dogs, in turn, giving shelter dogs a new home and purpose. Service dogs provide a wide array of services, such as calming symptoms of PTSD, providing seeing-eye support for the visually impaired, or simply being a companion of unconditional love when it’s needed most.
Paws of War has their animal shelter and training facility in the Nesconset Plaza on Portion Road, across the library and gazebo, but just cut the ribbon on their next-door venture, a Veterans’ resource center.
The center, while simple in execution, is expected to provide critical services to Veterans and first responders. With a lounge and separate offices, Paws of War can extend counseling, therapy, and other types of intervention to improve the mental health of Suffolk’s Veterans and hopefully curb the alarming rates of suicide among the community.
“We are fully engaged in the service to our uniformed partners in law enforcement, fire services and emergency medicine, our first responders. We never want a first responder to not know that Paws of War is a resource for you as well,” said Tom Ronayne, a U.S. Navy Veteran and service member at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks. “The number of lives that we have changed is innumerable and every one of those successes is on Robert [Miseri]. Every Veteran, every first responder, every family that has benefited through a relationship with calls of war is because of Robert’s vision and his commitment to carry it through to where we are today.”
A slate of Veterans and first responder groups attended, including, but not limited to, Director of the Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency Marcelle Leis, Colonel Shawn Fitzgerald and Command Chief Master Sergeant Edward Rittberg of the 106th Rescue Wing at Gabreski Air National Guard Base, American Legion Post #1244 of Greenlawn, the Joseph Dwyer Veterans Peery Support Program, the Patriot Guard Riders, the Suffolk County Police Department, and the Suffolk County Police Veterans Association.
“Without this space, without these con-tractors that built this space out, without the support, we could not take them [these cases] on,” Miseri told attendees. “Every day, there’s a crisis that we have to handle. It’s a Veteran, first responder, and their animal, their pet, their cat, their dog, their service animal.”
Miseri added that many of those in need find Paws of War through third-parties or word-of-mouth, including an attendee that morning, who had become homeless after no longer being able to work after his wife passed away. His dog was in need of medical care, which Paws of War was able to help facilitate with a veterinarian hospital. The Vietnam War and Grenada Veteran has now found temporary housing for him and his dog.
“The cases don’t stop,” said Miseri, recounting a recent case of a nine-year Navy Veteran who, along with her five cats, had been kicked out of her house by her husband. “We have Veterans who are living in their vehicles because they have nowhere to go. They have no place that’ll take their dog. And these are the kind of cases that come through this door every single day.”
Ray Meyer was heralded by Ronayne for his work at Paws of War, handling matters from moving equipment to comforting anxious rescue dogs. Meyer also discussed the number of contract agencies who helped construct their new offices.
“We spent about two years from the beginning of this project, we spent the whole year trying to find the right partner who had the same mindset as us for the project. It took us almost a year,” said Meyer, recounting a tale of a circumstantial golf outing that led connections being made within the labor unions and local shops to help give back to an organization that helps Vets and their pets.
“I am so honored to be standing here, because guess what? I was almost not here,” said Marine Corps Veteran and Paws of War Veteran Advocate Mike Kilano (pictured below). “I couldn’t get out of my car with the PTSD. Fast-forward a couple of years and to see all you beautiful people and to see such a wonderful, crucial organization that not only helped me, but many countless lives that I’m looking at in this crowd right now. So I thank you for allowing me to be part of such a beautiful thing.”
Kilano told anyone who might be struggling: “We have your back.” Kilano was one of the thirty Veterans who kayaked twenty-two miles from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson last month to honor the average of twenty-two Veterans who take their own lives each day.
“Mike’s story represents a number of things and some of them might not be obvious,” said Ronayne. “Mike represents, possibly, another funeral that we did not have to attend. He represents a family whose children got to wake up again this morning. They don’t live with one parent or the other because one has become a statistic.”
The ribbon-cutting was attended by a host of elected officials from across the county. Attending in person were Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James), Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James), Babylon Town Councilman Du Wayne Gregory (D-Copiague), Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy (R-Nesconset), County Clerk Vincent Puleo (R-Nesconset), and Suffolk County Legislator Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset). Representatives attended on behalf of Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches), Congressmen Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), Suffolk County Legislators Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) and Chad Lennon (C-Rocky Point), Senator Alexis Weik (R-Sayville), Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer (D-North Babylon), Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth (R-Lloyd Harbor), and Islip Town Councilman John Lorenzo (C-West Sayville).
Paws of War is located at 127-6 Smithtown Boulevard in Nesconset and can be reached at 631-406-6595.
