CINCINNATI — Kelly Knox never imagined that watching a presidential funeral on television would change her life. But when she saw Sully, President George H.W. Bush's faithful service dog, standing vigil at his master's casket in the Capitol rotunda, something clicked.
That moment of recognition would eventually lead the 20-year military veteran from a life increasingly confined by disability to one filled with hiking adventures, community service, and renewed independence.
An accidental military career
Knox's journey began in Texas, where growing up in a family of "modest means" meant finding creative ways to fund her education. The U.S. Army ROTC scholarship offered that path, though she never intended to make the military her career.
"I joined in order to go to college, and then one thing kind of led to the other, and I ended up staying for 20 years," Knox said.
Her military path took an unusual turn when she left the Army after 10 years to pursue graduate school, earning a master's degree in social work with her first GI Bill. When the Army couldn't offer her a position in her new specialty, she accepted a direct commission in the Air Force, where she would spend another decade in the Biomedical Sciences Corps.
"The military paid for all of my education, all the way through. So thank you, taxpayers," she told us with a laugh, saying she later used the modern GI Bill to earn her PhD in healthcare administration.
WATCH: See how a local veteran found renewed support through her service dog
A calling in crisis
Knox's military career took on deeper meaning during deployments in the first Gulf War in Operation Desert Storm and the Bosnian War, where she specialized in humanitarian missions.
Knox was part of the team that responded to the Oklahoma City bombing. She also responded to the Khobar Towers bombings in Saudi Arabia and Operation Pacific Haven, which provided humanitarian support for 7,000 Kurdish refugees in Guam before they were relocated to the United States.
"My job was to help displaced civilians either have a safe place to live during the time of the conflict or to come to the United States afterwards and start a new life here if they were completely displaced during wartime," Knox said.
She told us these experiences shaped her into a psychological trauma specialist, skills she said would prove invaluable in her post-military career.
After retiring from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, located just outside of Dayton, Knox moved to Cincinnati 25 years ago to work at the Cincinnati VA, where she was a member of the rapid deployment teams, which responded to natural disasters such as the hurricanes in Louisiana.
Knox later joined the National Center for PTSD, training other therapists and mental health professionals throughout the country.
After 20 years at the VA, Knox medically retired from the VA in 2021.
"I feel like those early experiences dealing with combat and trauma and displacement really set me up to be able to make a difference in the civilian world, so that those skills and methods are able to translate to civilian experiences and traumas as well. So I feel very lucky," she said.
But Knox's years of helping others came with a price. She now suffers from two invisible wounds tied to her military service: multiple sclerosis and a traumatic brain injury sustained during the Bosnian War.
Knox said while the exact cause of her MS remains unclear, it has been documented that veterans who were deployed in the first Gulf War have developed a variety of chronic conditions related to their service in the Persian Gulf, such as fatigue, headaches, joint pain, respiratory disorders and memory problems.
The combined effects of both her conditions began severely impacting her balance and coordination, leading to frequent falls that threatened her independence.
"I was having probably three or four falls a month," Knox said.
For someone who had been an athlete her entire life, accepting these limitations proved particularly difficult. When her VA doctor gently suggested she consider using a scooter, Knox said she resisted.
"I had feelings about being disabled," she said. "I just wasn't ready to do that."
A presidential inspiration
The turning point came during the most unlikely of moments — watching television coverage of President Bush's funeral in December 2018. The image of Sully, the late president's service dog, maintaining his loyalty at the vigil struck something deep within Knox.
At her next VA appointment, Knox broached the subject with her doctor.
"I said, 'Well, what about a service dog? Do you think a service dog can help me?' And he said, 'I don't know, but let's look into it,'" Knox said.
Her research led her to America's VetDogs, the same organization that had trained Sully. The nonprofit breeds and trains service dogs specifically for veterans, active duty service members and first responders, providing them free of charge — a service that could otherwise cost up to $50,000.
"It's a huge gift," she said. "It's a huge gift that the community and that vet dogs give to us."
The application process required Knox to submit videos demonstrating her mobility challenges — walking through doorways, navigating steps, and performing daily tasks. After an 18-month waiting list complicated by COVID-19, the call finally came in January 2021.
Knox traveled to Long Island for two weeks of intensive service dog training, where she would meet her match: Amber, a black Labrador Retriever specifically selected for Knox's needs.
"They do a fantastic job of matching the dogs to the needs of the veterans and first responders. So everything about her, from her abilities to her temperament, matched specifically to me. And I don't know how they do it. It's like magic, but she's a perfect match for me," Knox said.
Love at first sight
The moment Knox had waited a year and a half for was more emotional than she expected.
"It's a little embarrassing to admit that, oh my gosh, I just burst into tears. I had been waiting for so long, and she came in the room, and she was all excited, and I was all excited, and yeah, I fell in love immediately with her," Knox said.
That emotional connection has only deepened over the years. Amber wears a counterbalancing harness that helps stabilize Knox when she begins to lean too far in any direction. The dog assists with getting up from chairs, retrieves dropped items to prevent Knox from experiencing dizziness when bending over and provides crucial emergency support.
Amber's training proved its worth during a serious incident last year when Knox suffered a bad fall at home, breaking five bones in her foot.
"She has a button that she can push to call 911, so she was able to call 911, and she was able to bring me my phone from all the way in the back of the house," Knox said. "The ambulance was there within 10 minutes. So she's really a lifesaver."
The statistics speak for themselves: Knox said she has fallen only twice since partnering with Amber — the incident where she broke her foot and another time when she slipped on winter ice.
Reclaiming the outdoors
Perhaps most importantly for Knox, Amber has restored her ability to enjoy the outdoors, particularly hiking — an activity she had been forced to abandon due to her falling episodes.
"I really enjoy being out in the woods and being in nature. And I wasn't able to do that before I had her very much, because I was falling a lot. And so she's kind of solved that problem," Knox said.
Knox has made it her mission to hike every Cincinnati city park and is now working through all the county parks. She camps with a group called RVing Women and recently explored John Bryant Park and Glen Helen Preserve in Yellow Springs.
"I'm just able to see things and do things that I wouldn't be able to do without her, and I'm very grateful for that," she reflects.
Breaking social barriers
Beyond the physical assistance, Amber has helped Knox overcome the social isolation that often accompanies disability. Knox, who describes herself as naturally introverted and now lives alone as a widow, finds that Amber serves as an unexpected social catalyst.
"Being disabled, people sometimes get a little bit socially isolated because it gets harder and harder to get out of the house and to be able to go out and do things with people, and so she's kind of solved that problem for me," Knox said.
"Having a service dog also helps kind of break the ice, because people are always interested in the dog," she said. "And so that's a great conversation starter, too."
This renewed social confidence has enabled Knox to maintain an active volunteer schedule, including historic cemetery preservation work that requires walking on uneven ground and serving at a food pantry through her church.
In addition to hiking and camping with friends, Knox plays guitar and mountain dulcimer.
In the summer, she teaches guitar at a summer music camp for girls, and hosts backyard concerts for local musicians. She also writes songs and arranges music for her church.
Paying it forward
Knox's experience has made her an advocate for other veterans who might benefit from service dogs but hesitate to seek help.
"It's hard for veterans to admit that they have deficits, and it's hard for anybody, not just veterans, but I think especially veterans, to ask for help. And so it's important to know what kind of help is out there," she said.
Knox encourages veterans to contact America's VetDogs to learn about possibilities they might not have considered.
"You don't know what they can do for you, because you're not a dog trainer, right? And so they can answer those questions, and they can help you figure out whether it would be a good match," she said.
A perfect partnership
As Knox spoke to us, Amber remained calmly at her side, occasionally responding to gentle commands but mostly just being present – a living testament to the bond between them.
For Knox, who spent two decades helping others navigate their darkest moments, finding her own path back to independence through this partnership feels like coming full circle.
"I was feeling a little uncomfortable and unsafe about living alone, and now that I have her, I don't feel that way anymore, because I know she's right there to help me," Knox said, reaching down to pat Amber's head.
The woman who once helped displaced civilians rebuild their lives has found her own second chapter, one trail at a time, with a faithful companion who never leaves her side.
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