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"Rescued" is a story of how a hardened combat veteran found peace with an unexpected canine companion named Dozer. Their meeting was surely influenced by a higher power, the author writes. After separating from the active-duty Marines, he found it difficult to adapt to civilian life. He felt he had lost his identity as an elite warrior, a Marine. He was used to handling the toughest tasks-including making safe-for-flight determinations for two separate aviation platforms, the AH-1W Super Cobra tandem seat attack helicopter and the UH-1N Huey utility helicopter. He went from being an integral part of a flight crew for combat missions to just another face in the crowd. The transition took its toll on his personal and professional well-being. He had no idea that the only dose of medicine capable of pulling him out of this nosedive was a dog.¿
About the author
Andy L. Vistrand was born in Niobe, New York. He is an animal lover who grew up with pets, more specifically, English Bulldogs. He attended Panama Central School and graduated in 2003 with a Regents High School Diploma. He enlisted in the Marines after high school and served his country for five years. Vistrand is an honorably discharged Marine combat veteran and former law enforcement officer. His active duty service to the United States military included deployments to Iraq on three occasions. Vistrand served as a UH-1N Huey Helicopter crew chief, logging nearly one thousand hours in flight time. Over six hundred hours of that time is red hours, or combat flight time. Rising to the rank of corporal, he earned the distinction of weapons and tactics instructor for all squadron purposes and missions. Vistrand served for five years as a law enforcement officer, serving in two West Tennessee municipalities. He earned notable distinction as a law enforcement professional, having become certified in advance roadside impaired driving enforcement. Vistrand earned his bachelor of science degree with honors in business management from Bethel University. A family man dedicated to community service, Vistrand is an active member serving in an officer capacity in the Jackson, Tennessee, Marine Corps League Detachment. There, he leads the Toys for Tots campaign in his home county, among other responsibilities.
