Peggy served in the United States Air Force from 2007-2011, serving as a perimeter security forces member stationed in Bagram, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. After retiring, she settled in with her family and discovered Guiding Reins through Facebook.

Cameron served in the United States Marine Corps before being medically discharged due to a heart condition. He went on to work as a firefighter and EMS medic, but years of trauma, losing fellow Marines and people he tried to save as a first responder, took a devastating toll. “Basically, I became a ticking time bomb,” said Cameron. “Experiencing so much loss in such a short amount of time really affected me mentally and emotionally. I felt like I was always surrounded by death and trauma.”