Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Veterans
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Veterans

Photographer Stacy Pearsall ’05 Receives Service Dog on ‘Today Show’

Thursday, November 9, 2017, By Ellen Mbuqe
Share
alumniNewhouse School of Public Communicationsveterans

Stacy Pearsall ’05, an alumna of the Newhouse School’s Military Visual Journalism Program was the recipient of a service dog during a special segment on NBC’s Today Show.

Stacy Pearsall and Charlie

Stacy Pearsall meets her service dog, Charlie, on the set of the “Today Show” on Thursday, Nov. 9.

Pearsall, who visited campus earlier this week for her Veterans Portrait Project, was a guest on NBC’s “Today Show” Thursday, Nov. 9, where she met her new service dog, Charlie, a black Labrador retriever.

Charlie has been a frequent guest on the Today Show as part of the “Puppy with a Purpose” segment. For 14 months, “Today Show” viewers have followed along with Charlie’s development as a service dog trained for the needs of a military veteran. He first appeared on the show as an 8-week-old puppy and became a regular on the show, meeting numerous guests and celebrities.

The Today Show featured Pearsall’s military career in a segment where she described her military commitment as a family tradition that stretched back to the Civil War. Pearsall got her start as an Air Force photographer at the age of 17. She traveled to more than 41 countries and, during three combat tours, earned the Bronze Star and Air Force Commendation with Valor for combat actions in Iraq.

Due to an attack on her convoy in Iraq, Pearsall lives with the effects of that attack with traumatic brain injury, migraines, seizures and nerve pain, according to the “Today Show.”

Pearsall says she has been waiting for a service dog for two years. When Charlie and Pearsall met, he came right to her and she gave him a treat and broke out into a huge smile.

She told the hosts of the “Today Show” that Charlie will help her cope with pain and be her partner on the road for the Veterans Portrait Project.

“Charlie means a lot more independence and empowerment,” says Pearsall.

Pearsall, spent two days this week in the lobby of Newhouse 2 taking photos of veterans for her project. She founded it in 2008 as a way to preserve the faces and stories of veterans from around the world, and to honor and thank them. Pearsall says she started the project as “an emotionally cathartic, physically healing tool,” and as a way to extend her service when she could no longer serve in uniform.

She twice earned the National Press Photographers Association’s Military Photographer of the Year award and is also the recipient of several other awards, including recognition by the White House as a “Champion of Change.”

Charlie was trained by America’s VetDogs, a nonprofit organization that trains dogs to support veterans and first responders during combat, both physically and emotionally.

 

  • Author

Ellen Mbuqe

  • Recent
  • Syracuse University Press Participating in Path to Open Program
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Cristina Hatem
  • A&S Chemistry Professor Receives Award From the American Chemical Society
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By News Staff
  • ‘Guys and Dolls’ Opens Syracuse University Department of Drama 2023/24 Season
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Joanna Penalva
  • Libraries Add MindSpa Wellness Rooms
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Cristina Hatem
  • iSchool Professors, Students Honored With ALISE Awards
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Anya Woods

More In Veterans

Faculty Lead Partnerships to Support Ukrainian Veterans, Strengthen European and U.S. Security

Since the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine’s veteran population has increased from roughly 500,000 to over 1.2 million and counting, yet the country’s ability to support its servicemembers has declined due to the war’s impact on the economy and infrastructure. Two…

New Partnership Announced During Military-Connected Orientation Event

Military-connected students arriving for their first semester at Syracuse University typically have a myriad of needs and challenges that are vastly different from the traditional students they attend classes with. Understanding these unique issues, the Office of Veteran and Military…

Meet 2023 Tillman Scholar Luis ‘Lu’ Weierbach L’24

The ambition to make the world a better place is a common characteristic among Tillman Scholars. Some aim to have far-reaching global impact while others want to address problems in their local communities. For U.S. Army Captain Luis “Lu” Weierbach…

Veterans Learn Cutting-Edge Training in Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management

The D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University recently celebrated the addition of 25 new graduates from the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) program. The program is unique in that it leverages the skills, resources and infrastructure…

College of Professional Studies Announces Degree Completion Partnership With the United States Army Warrant Officer Career College

Syracuse University continues to demonstrate its national leadership role as the best university for veterans and military-connected students with a first-of-its-kind degree completion partnership with the United States Army Warrant Officer Career College (USAWOCC). Under the first-of-its-kind agreement, Syracuse University…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.