Jimmy Thomas, a 61-year-old Army veteran from Ballston Spa, plans
to kayak from Glenville to Key West, Florida, and bicycle back home, a roundtrip
journey of 4,000 miles.
He is raising money to help military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other maladies receive the assistance and companionship of a trained service dog.
Specialized training for a service dog can cost up to $50,000, prohibitive for many veterans. A survey found that less than 5 percent of military veterans who want a trained service dog have one and Veterans Administration (VA) insurance generally does not cover the cost.
Thomas knows firsthand the benefits of a service dog. A contractor who specializes in historic home restorations, he struggled with bipolar disorder and stress-induced seizures. A doctor at the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany recommended a service dog for Thomas. Four years ago, Thomas received his service dog, Boots, a golden retriever, through Mountains to Miracles Veterans Foundation, a not-for-profit group in Montgomery County that assists veterans.
Boots made a profound difference in his life and Thomas vowed to bring the benefits of service dogs to other veterans.
Thomas and volunteers hope to raise a six-figure sum in donations and in-kind canine training to pair service dogs with numerous vets who have financial needs.
They named their project Doggie Paddle for Veterans. It is being organized with the help of the Glenville Rotary and a dozen Rotarians are overseeing the effort. Thomas is paddling a stretch of the Mohawk, down the Hudson River to New York Harbor, hug the shore of the Atlantic Ocean for about 40 miles, enter the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway and traverse the Intracoastal Waterway the rest of the way to Florida.
Thomas will departed on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m. during the Glenville Oktoberfest at Maalwyck Park on Route 5 at Lock 8. Thomas will offer brief remarks, followed by a parade with well-wishers carrying his kayak down to the Mohawk were he embarked on the journey.
Thomas averaged 20 to 25 miles per day, for a total of about 100 days in the
kayak. At night, he slept in a tent, motel rooms and overnight accommodations from good Samaritans. In Key West, he’ll pick up his shipped Ross road bike and cycle back, hoping to complete the return leg in about 30 days, averaging roughly 70 miles daily.
(Thomas will be in Vero Beach on Tuesday November 22nd where the Oceanside and the Sunrise Rotary Clubs will hold a “Meet and Greet” 5:30-6:30 at Bobby’s on Ocean Dr. He will attend the Wednesday Nov 23rd Sunrise Rotary Meeting before heading down stream again.)
Thomas, reasonably fit at 6 feet and 170 pounds, is not an endurance athlete and has not undertaken any adventure this grueling before. “Since I’m not trying to set a record, it’s mostly a mental challenge,” he said. “If I’m exhausted or the weather is terrible, I’ll stop for the day.”
His training included a 3,500 cross-country bike trip in 2019 from Oregon to Albany. He raised money for Woofs for Warriors, which trains service dogs for veterans, including his. He raised additional funds for the same group in the summer of 2021 by paddling a canoe the entire 444-mile length of the Susquehanna River from Cooperstown to Maryland.
Thomas is not daunted by his kayak and cycling challenge.
“There are naysayers out there, but I don’t listen to them,” Thomas said.
“I’ve always known Jimmy to achieve whatever he sets his mind to,” said Beth
Kissinger, who first met Thomas when they attended kindergarten together. She is a coordinator of the fundraising project and a past president of the Glenville Rotary Club, which is spearheading the effort.
“Jimmy has great empathy for veterans and a lot of energy and enthusiasm for this mission,” Kissinger said. They reconnected at their 40th Ballston Spa High School Class of 1979 reunion and began formulating the project.
The seeds for Doggie Paddle for Veterans were planted during Thomas’ visits to the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany. Each time, he left with a pang of guilt. He would bring his service dog, Boots, who went everywhere with Thomas. His fellow vets were sad when the dog left. Thomas knew they would have benefited from having a service dog themselves, but the high cost was an obstacle.
“I saw a lot of vets in really rough shape, some missing an arm or leg, or suffering from severe PTSD,” Thomas said. “I knew how much my service dog helped me and I wanted to find a way to get them one, too.”
Thomas is a divorced father of five, two daughters and three sons. His sons all served in the Army or Army Reserve. They are the fifth generation of his family to serve in the armed forces.
Thomas signed up for the Army at 18 in 1979, just after high school graduation. He was a military police officer stationed on U.S. Army bases in Germany.
He taught and coached sports at Mohonasen and Galway high schools, often choosing to work with troubled teens who had experienced trauma.
“Kids want consistency and to know you care about them,” Thomas said. “I kept it simple and made it fun.” Service dogs provide a grounding for military veterans struggling with PTSD and other psychological issues that might spiral them into depression or suicidal thoughts.
“That dog depends on that vet 24 hours a day and gets the vet through dark days. The vet builds an unshakable bond with the dog,” Thomas said. “It makes both of them better.”
Thomas should know. He and Boots were inseparable for the past four years and
brought solace to many, veterans and civilians alike.
“Boots developed a huge fan club,” Kissinger said.
Boots was diagnosed with cancer, declined rapidly and died two weeks ago at age 5. Words catch in his throat when Thomas tries to describe what Boots meant for him. On the Doggie Paddle for Veterans website (https://doggiepaddle.org), there is a picture of Boots and Thomas and the blue Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160 sea kayak he is paddling to Florida.
“He was an amazing dog,” Thomas said. “I’m dedicating this trip to Boots.”