MonCheri Charron: ‘My Lifeline'

MonCheri Charron grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents separated when she was young, and “my mom, she had some struggles,” Charron says, as did her father. Because of her tumultuous family life, as a teenager, Charron found herself on the verge of homelessness and going down the wrong path. In 2007, “I walked into a [Navy] recruiter’s office and said, ‘I have no idea what the Navy is all about, but I need to leave tomorrow.’” The recruiter “made it work, and I left two days later [for basic training].”

Eighteen years and a naval career later, it was a decision she never regretted.

A home in the Navy
Charron’s first job in the Navy was as a “Seabee.” The U.S. Naval Construction Battalions (Seabees) were created during World War II as a militarized construction force to work in combat zones. Seabees are responsible for building and maintaining infrastructure at U.S. military bases around the world. “I was a plumber,” she says. 

Charron has been deployed all over the world: Iraq, Afghanistan, Guam, Romania, Spain, Singapore, Africa, spending between six and 10 months in each location. “Seabees are primarily based on land,” she says. “In Rota, Spain, we did renovations on schools, and in Africa, we built water wells and things like that.”  In addition, she spent three years in Yokosuka, Japan, in what is called a “forward deployment,” where she was assigned to the U.S. naval base Fleet Activities Yokosuka, which provides support for the Seventh Fleet, United States Pacific Fleet.

She worked as a Seabee for 12 years before making a career change to counseling. “I loved being a Seabee,” she says. “We only make up a small percentage of the entire Navy. It’s a very small community but I loved it because of the camaraderie of that small community.”

But Charron wasn’t feeling challenged enough. “As I matured, I wanted a job where I could use more critical and analytical thinking. I needed that,” she says.
A Navy counselor, she laughs, is “a kind of combination of HR manager, career advisor, guidance counselor, and therapist.” Her primary job, she says, is to manage the career development of the sailors in the command while also handling administrative matters for her command.

As it happened, Charron had been injured and during her rehabilitation, “I told the commander, ‘I’m willing to learn the job and do it for you so your program doesn’t fail.’ And I ended up loving it,” she says. “I didn’t have anyone to train under, because there aren’t enough Navy counselors; we’re always undermanned. I read all the manuals and figured things out.” She loves being able to work with the sailors who come to her “and help them make the next best decision,” whether it pertains to personal issues or their career advancement.

In the Navy, Charron says, she found the family and unity that had been lacking in her home life growing up. “My experiences have shaped me,” she says. “If not for the military, I wouldn’t have faced those challenges and wouldn’t have learned resilience.”

Overcoming her challenges
“I love being in the Navy and I appreciate everything the Navy has done for me,” Charron says, “but I did experience some bad things,” and it was those bad experiences that ultimately led to her decision to reach out to America’s VetDogs and get a service dog.

“I have reached the point where I’m comfortable sharing, and that’s part of getting the service dog,” she says. “I didn’t want to get one and have people ask questions I wasn’t ready for.”

Charron is a survivor of military sexual trauma, which occurred while she was on active duty. “For a lot of years, I pushed it down and said, ‘Oh, you know, I’m fine.’ I never dealt with it.” Things reached a head during her deployment on the USS Ronald Reagan. “I was working 18-, 20-hour days, and because of the pressure of it all, I started having nightmares and night terrors where I was reliving those sexual assaults. It became so intense, I just had to get help.”

When she was able to return to her home base, “I made the appointment for mental health and they wanted to put me on medication immediately,” but she was reluctant. “I didn’t want to walk around medicated all the time.” Her trauma psychiatrist recommended a service dog that could help with MST and PTSD and with some of the hearing issues she was experiencing. After much consideration and research, she made a decision: “I would get a service dog over medication,” she says. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs does not provide assistance dogs, so it’s up to an individual to seek out a service dog school. As Charron worked through the list of providers on the ADI (Assistance Dogs international) website, America’s VetDogs stood out to her. She applied and was invited to class in May 2024, where she was matched with service dog Happy, a black Labrador/Golden Retriever cross.

“When they brought her into my room, I was a little unsure,” Charron says. “How do I approach this dog? This is a very well-trained dog, not a pet. How are we ever going to bond?” However, Happy came right up to Charron, and “I hugged her and sat on the floor and started to sing You Are My Sunshine. She laid her head in my lap and we just connected.” 

Happy has been trained to provide personal space; alert to alarms and doorbells and when someone calls Charron’s name; and nightmare interruption. “I wasn’t sure she was actually going to wake me from a nightmare. Until one day she did. I was, ‘Why are you on the bed?’ and I realized that she had just woken me up.”

During class, Charron says, “we quickly became a family, sharing our stories. What amazed me most looking back is how we kind of rallied around each other to protect each other during our tough moments.”
Because of her highly visible position, Charron did have some concerns about how Happy might be perceived once she returned to work, but “I have a very supportive command.” And she has discovered that Happy’s impact has extended beyond the help she provides for her personally. “She’s an example that it’s OK not to be OK, and it’s OK to seek help.” 

In October 2024, Charron was promoted to chief petty officer and underwent a pinning ceremony. “It is the public recognition of the promotion of first class petty officers to the rank of chief petty officer, which is the most significant career milestone for an enlisted sailor,” she says. “It's a culmination of a six-week initiation involving physical fitness evaluations, team-building exercises, and learning Navy history and traditions. The ceremony is a time-honored tradition where newly promoted chiefs are pinned with their anchors by family members, mentors, or friends.” Happy was also pinned for her service.  

Since partnering with Happy a year ago, Charron says, “Sometimes I just look at her and I think I'm really lucky to have this dog. She's amazing, and not just because she's cute and cuddly, but because she's so smart and so devoted. I never imagined how intense a feeling could be to look at a dog and say, ‘You're my lifeline.’”