JB Van Cleave is an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, Stay-at-Home-Dad, and the lesser half of a Therapy Dog team (in training) with Creed's Jay Bird Van Cleave, CGSC.
JB imagined the PTSDragon as a way to explain for his loved ones why he can sometimes seem sad or angry, to assure them that he remains the same person, and promise them he would put effort into improvement. He found the quirky analogy to be especially useful in communicating his mental state without eliciting undue fear or concern from loved ones. Believing others could benefit in the same way, JB expanded his analogy and crafted it into the picture book PTSDragon: Post Threat Survival Dragon.