Brandon Ketchum was a Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq. After Brandon left the Marines, he joined the National Guard and did a tour in Afghanistan where he was injured before coming home. On July 8th, 2016, Brandon committed suicide after suffering PTSD for several years. Unfortunately, Brandon’s story is not uncommon for many returning veterans. With nearly 22 veterans committing suicide daily, it is the mission of Ketchum’s Got Your Six to raise funds for training companion dogs to help Wisconsin Veterans suffering from PTSD.
In honor of supporting those who served, the Sonnentag Foundation awarded a grant to Ketchum’s Got Your Six so more training service dogs can be paired with veterans. Ketchum’s partners with Custom Canines to work directly with veterans to train their animals. If a veteran has a service trainable dog, Custom Canines will work with the veteran and dog to provide guidance, mentoring, and support during training.
Every year Ketchum’s hosts ‘Ketchum’s Ride,’ a 22-mile bike ride to honor Brandon Ketchum and raise awareness for the number of veterans who commit suicide every day. One hundred percent of the funds raised by Ketchum’s goes directly to supporting veterans. Through the Sonnentag Foundation, County Materials is proud to contribute toward Ketchum’s efforts to provide service dogs for veterans in our local communities.