Joining our Holiday Celebration event will be Veteran Ed Burton.  Ed spent 28 years in the Navy as an engineer where he did three tours in Vietnam, a campaign in Nicaragua, one in Panama, another in Granada, and finally Desert Storm where he was responsible for keeping the ship running in tip-top shape. Injuries received during his service caused the inflammation of his optic nerve and led to his vision loss.

 In 2004, Ed's vision was bad, but he didn't think it was bad enough to get a guide dog. That was until he was hit by a car while walking in Bradenton and broke his leg. He got his first guide dog after recovering from the accident and now has come back to Southeastern Guide Dogs for his second guide, a gorgeous golden retriever named Sammy.

Of Sammy, Ed says "he is great, a flawless worker, and like me, he doesn't like to sit still.” Shortly after Sammy joined Ed and managed to get his sea legs quickly like Ed's previous guide since Ed and his wife, Betty spend much time on their "second home" a lovely sailboat named JLUA or Jesus Loves Us All, boating all over the Keys and the Bahamas. I wonder if they have room for stowaways.