NETHERLANDS — When you sit down to chat with Virunda Sol, the first thing you notice is her passion for service.
From volunteering at my children's schools to being an advocate for the LGBTQ community, supporting seniors and veterans, and ultimately serving on the Dutch City Council.
Sol arrives with his friend's service animal, a poodle named Shadow.
Shadow helps Sol deal with his past life experiences dating back to 9/11 when he enlisted in the National Guard.
“I just felt a calling to join the military,” Sol said. “Even though I was 34 years old, people called me Grandma. It was a challenge and it was difficult, but it was worth it. Looking back now, those values are in line with who I am as a person. I did.”
She went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to assist local law enforcement. She also helped provide security for President Bush's visit to Air Force One.
She then volunteered for Operation Iraqi Freedom and was sent to Baghdad to help train Iraqi police. In November 2006 they suffered their first death.
“We had no idea what was around the corner, mainly IEDs…we didn't know if they were going to detonate them or not,” Sol said.
After serving a year in prison in Baghdad, she returned to the United States. In total, she served for 6 years.
“I thought I could go back and go to work and get back to my life,” she said. “(But) I had a lot of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. …I like to think I'm okay, normal and everything's fine, but really I'm just trying not to show the cracks. .”
Sol worked as a legal assistant and police reservist for the Ottawa County Prosecutor's Office. As she tells it, she hit rock bottom when she was diagnosed with depression in 2015.
“It was really hard,” she said. “I started counseling and started using my VA benefits.”
Shadow, a 4-year-old standard poodle, arrived two years ago. Sol says that being by Shadow's side for many years has helped him grow as a person.
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Sol has spent a total of over 30 years in the Netherlands. She works with Good Samaritan Ministries and continues her ministry in her hometown. She is up for re-election to City Council in 2025.
— Contact Austin Mets reporter at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
