Please sign and share this petition in an effort to support Army Sgt. Justin Bond who was not allowed to bring his service dog Boomer on his flight to a retreat in Hawaii with a group of other veterans. Boomer helps with an organization Sgt. Bond works with known as Our Heroes' Dreams but he met with conflict when trying to get his necessary sidekick on his flight. The veteran is an amputee and the dog is there to bring him his leg, crutches, shoes and any other items that may fall. He even helps if Sgt. Bond falls, trying to catch him and save him from injury.
Army Sgt. Justin Bond is from the California area but when he was boarding a U. S. Airways plane at the San Jose' Airport, they refused to let him board the plane with his dog Boomer, along with some of the other counselors who did not have dogs with them. This group of veterans are an important part of the organization known as Our Heroes' Dreams, a group that is ultimately responsible for getting many of these guys in the service off of suicide watch while helping them to find a new mission in life. They were all on the way to a retreat in Hawaii in an effort to help veterans.
Sgt. Bond states that many of the veterans on the flight were suicidal but the officials at the airport did not want to even discuss any of the issues presented. They closed their doors to the plane and he had to sit for 15 minutes in limbo, wondering what would happen if any of the guys committed suicide. He and the other counselors finally made it to Hawaii and the retreat, just without Boomer. This was the first time he and his dog have been separated in the past year.
Sgt. Bond stated that "When a dog is doing something good for you, and he's doing what he's supposed to and you pass him off and now he's gone from you, he might think he's being punished." Because he was committed as the leader of the Our Heroes' Dreams group for suicidal veterans, he had to go to the retreat with his counselors while Boomer was left with a friend until his dad could intervene. Bond's father drove two and half hours to pick up Boomer from one of Bond's friends. Bond said Boomer has traveled with him plenty of times on different airlines including US Airways. Although the airlines made attempts in apologizing for the incident, something needs to change so that something like this never occurs again. By signing and sharing this petition worldwide, we can urge the U. S. Airways to make changes to their rules and regulations while educating all of their staff on allowing the service dogs of veterans on their flights.
U. S. Airways Officials - It is quite sad that you refused to allow Army Sgt. Justin Bond and his service dog Boomer to board a flight together while on the way to a retreat in Hawaii for suicidal veterans. Something is definitely wrong with your rules and regulations regarding boarding therapy and service dogs on your flights with their veteran owners! You need to seriously investigate and reevaluate your regulations to ensure that such a situation as Sgt. Bond's never occurs again. Along with the rules and regulations, you need to fully train any and all airline staff on the handling and safe transport of these necessary and valued animals who are required for the health and welfare of their owners. Don't ever refuse the boarding of such an animal with its owner!
