SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A local Marine's dreams are close to becoming a reality in the form of a massive property in Dulzura.
It is not just for Kalani Creutzberg. His efforts to help others prompted an Animal Planet star to join the cause.
Nate Schoemer was also a Marine. He was fresh out of high school with his blood type on his boots when he joined the invasion of Iraq.
"The first group was out there for three days and when they came back you could tell that they've just been through hell," Schoemer said.
"This is hard for me to talk about," he said with tears in his eyes.
It is especially hard to him to discuss it with civilians who often cannot comprehend the horrors of war.
He lost some friends on that deployment in 2003.
"I could hear it from where I was," he started. "I mean I could hear them screaming,"
It haunted his heart on home soil., but he said his dog's love lifted his spirits.
"I need to continue on this mission and helping others the way she helped me," he added.
When he got out of the service he became a master dog trainer. He went on to host an Animal Planet show called "Rescue Dog to Super Dog". In it, he saved shelter dogs and turned them into service dogs for people in need.
In episode one, he trained Bas for Creutzberg, which is how the two met.
Creutzberg survived chilling deployments, but the fight for his life followed him home.
"Before I knew it I was homeless," Creutzberg explained. "It was embarrassing, it was shameful,"
Bas gave him a sense of purpose.
"When I was going there to rescue him he was actually the one rescuing me," Creutzberg added.
Now, he is on a mission to give homeless vets a home. He plans to buy a property that is nearly 300 acres in Dulzura.
"We're going to run our day to day operations very much like when we were back in the service," he explained. "There will be structure, we will work together…… the very things that a lot of us miss."
It does not end there. They will also rescue homeless dogs about to be euthanized.
"[We'll] allow both the veterans and the dogs to grow relationships and start anew," he said.
Schoemer believed in the Cammies and Canines Sanctuary so much, he joined the efforts. He plans to turn some of the dogs on death row into service dogs for vets.
"Just being around Marines and veterans is a great thing," Schoemer said with a big grin.
Their goal is to get back to tackling battles together. If that is not enough, man's best friend might just save someone else from being their own worst enemy.
Creutzberg said they have raise about $150,000 of the $400,000 they need to purchase the property, so they are looking for investors. If you would like to join the cause, you can learn more here.
