Karolyn Smith

This book is written in "Open Dyslexic"....

My name is Karolyn Smith and I am the 2014 Veteran of the Year for the 71st district of California. Born and raised in San Diego, daughter to a Vietnam Veteran, Granddaughter to two WWII Veterans (God Rest their Souls). I was a velodrome cyclist for 14 years until September 11th changed my path in life...at the tender age of 29, I pivoted an enlisted in the US Army as a Military Police Officer..and headed to War.

At 30, I'd find myself on the gritty streets of Baghdad Iraq with the 127th Military Police Company as a crew Serve machine gunner- affix atop a humvv running a machine gun. The horrors of war seared in my psyche alongside the visions of triumph in this third world Nation. The struggles of PTS(d) would grip me like a bear in a true life and death daily struggle as I returned to America's finest city.

Transitioned from Active Duty Army into high threat security contracting and with injuries that were left untreated I would be in a whirlwind of an emotional train wreck of the VA system; left on the sidelines of treatment...depressed, broken.

Then I met Sophia. A tiny kitten....an amputee kitten, having battled the elements, battled life and yet only 8 days old.... found alone here in San Diego, abandoned but her heart and desire to overcome was bigger than her 8 ounce body.

Sophia, became the Official Ambassador to the San Diego Humane Society- and we found each other.

I adopted Sophia and her bonded mate, Leonidas...and we changed each others life. I teamed up with Fablab and became an innovator, a "Maker" and created the first ever 3D printed prototype prosthetic for Sophia and created "Sophia the Bionic Cat", the TRUE story of our journey....wait till the next book.... Did you see us on the Animal planet...