by John Waters, Publisher

“Healing the wounds of war with wilderness” is the motto of ActiVets, the veteran support group founded by Big Bend Natural History Association’s Executive Director Mike Boren.

Its mission: “To afford young veterans coming out of the Iraqi or Afghani war to use the therapeutic benefits of the National Parks,” says Boren.

It’s a simple idea: bring newly-returned war veterans together for a few days to enjoy the solitude, tranquility, and beauty of Big Bend National Park’s backcountry. Get the group out on the river for an overnight camping trip in stunning canyon scenery. Allow the excitement and exhilaration of running some rapids together to foster camaraderie. Add the sage experience and empathy of a few older veterans, and the goal of healing the wounds of war is well underway.

The all-important ingredient, as Boren puts it, is to “let nature do the healing.”

The non-profit ActiVets has several partners: the National Park Service, Forever Resorts and Far Flung Adventures. The group has also received financial assistance from Luz de Estrella Winery in Marfa.

Big Bend National Park Superintendent Bill Wellman is an enthuastic supporter of the the program. “The National Park Service and Big Bend National Park fully support the ActiVets program. It is an excellent and appropriate use of park resources. We hope to see the program expand to several additional parks in the Intermountain Region over the next year,” says Wellman.

The park service supports the effort by waiving entrance fees and river fees for the vets, and has waived fees to filmmakers who have made fundraising documentaries about the project.

Recently the park service provided ActiVets with a $25,000 grant to match the $25,000 from the Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment (TRIAD) grant through the Permian Basin Area Foundation.

ActiVets has partnered with Terlingua’s Far Flung Outdoor Center, which has provided free and deeply discounted trips. Greg Henington of Far Flung said he is “very committed to the program and getting veterans in national parks makes sense.”

Henington, who is president of the national outfitters association America Outdoors, was so impressed with ActiVets he invited Boren to address the group’s annual meeting. After Boren presented an 8-minute film documentary about ActiVets, the group of 600 gave him a standing ovation, said Henington.

Jerry Shafer, Operations Manager at the park’s Chisos Mountains Lodge, is a supporter, too. Shafer, a veteran himself, said, “We at Forever Resorts take our work with veterans very seriously. We make rooms and meals available. Working with ActiVets and other veterans groups is very dear to us.”

The vets spend a night at the lodge when they arrive and depart. The group also meets for the first time at an introductory dinner at the lodge and for a farewell dinner before heading home.

Recently ActiVets completed two overnight river trips, one through Boquillas Canyon and one through Santa Elena Canyon. With the river at historic flood levels, the veterans and I were in for a terrific ride. When we put in at Lajitas for our Santa Elena trip, on the morning of September 27, our guides, John LeRoy, Ethan Cook and Todd Russell – assisted by shuttle driver John Hargus – slogged through sometimes knee-deep mud just to reach the recently receded Rio.

While the group loaded gear into the boat, this intrepid reporter ventured a few feet into the river and soon plunged into water five feet deep. Said one vet, “Wow, we almost lost the reporter dude.” The next two days would be even more exciting, albeit a bit drier.

Within a half hour on the river, the vets, most of whom had never been to the region, were overtaken by the natural beauty and the experience of being on the river.

By the time we set up camp several hours later, veteran James Williams was convinced he would move to the area and possibly work for the park service. Before dinner all the vets had gratitude for the opportunity provided by ActiVets and thanked “Mr. Boren,” as they respectfully called him.

After a dinner of filet mignon cooked over an open fire, the group gathered for conversation and ceremony around a campfire a few yards from the roaring Rio Grande.

At nightfall Boren commanded the attention of the group and told the returning veterans he would lead them in an interpretation of the Navajo Enemy Way Chant Ceremony. Historically, the ceremony’s goal was used to exorcise the spirits of the violence and ugliness that warriors had experienced and to pray for and protect from the spirits of slain enemies.

Boren told the group that for thousands of years people have gathered around fires along the Rio Grande and amongst those groups were warriors who would stand up and protect the welfare of the clan from natural threats and human enemies. And that is what the returning veterans had done, said Boren, they had stood up, answered a call, and defended their nation.

Boren, a veteran himself, welcomed the vets home, congratulated them, and asked if they wished to address their peers.

In sometimes emotional and always inspiring tones, the vets spoke of their experiences, hopes and fears. All the vets were proud of their service, all said they would do it again. One said he wished the American public knew how lucky they were, and wished they understood just how easy life is in the United States. He told of Afghani women who are made to walk in front of males not so much out of tradition but as a shield for land mines.

In stirring testimony, veteran Victor Loya told the group that while he had been born in Mexico he was now a proud American. “I was born Mexicano,” said Loya, gesturing across the river to Mexico. Stomping his foot on the sandy Texas riverbank Loya proclaimed, “But now I am a proud American who has fought for his country.”

The recently returned veterans also heard from older veterans, retired Colonels John McArdle and Bob Sholly, who offered their perspectives on military service. Besides being a retired Colonel, Sholly had the added stature of having grown up in Big Bend National Park when his father was chief ranger.

To close the ceremony, Boren asked the group to pray for the souls of all those lost in the conflicts in which the vets had served, a list that included souls from Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Vietnam.

After a few minutes of silence, the group began to chat, their attention divided between the burning fire and the spectacular night sky. It was a wonderful night. Listening to the vets, both young and older was a moving and memorable experience for all, including this non-veteran.

At the conclusion of the trip Colonel Sholly summed up his impression by saying it was “Extremely well thought out and prepared. The trip served the purpose ActiVets is looking for. This gave me the opportunity to get back, commune with and listen to younger guys carrying on the tradition. It’s nice to know the country is in good military hands with the same ethos and same determination. I’m grateful to Mike Boren of ActiVets.”

ActiVets staff consists of one person, Mike Boren, who is excited to see the program expand. After he received the standing ovation at the America Outdoors meeting, 25 outfitters swamped Boren, offering to be sponsors.

Next year, ActiVets plans to do ten trips through the National Park Service’s Intermountain Region, including a multi-day river trip on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park.

ActiVets is also planning to do houseboat trips on Lake Amistad and have vets bring their families along. With 25 outfitters waiting to help, ActiVets is seeking financial donations and the participation of older vets.

After one veteran told me, “this trip changed my life,” I was convinced ActiVets admirably succeeds in helping to heal the wounds of war with wilderness.

To view the 8-minute documentary on ActiVets, replete with gorgeous cinematography of the Big Bend and the Rio Grande, visit ActiVets. Donations to the program can be made on the website or be mailed to ActiVets at P.O. Box 196, Big Bend National Park, TX 79834. Telephone (432) 477-2236.

ABOVE: Taking a try as a river guide, veteran Kevin Moussavi-Saeedi, is thrilled by the experience. Moussavi-Saeedi, who lost most of one hand after an insurgent threw sticks of dynamite at him in Baghdad, teaches skiing and snowboarding in New Mexico to disabled vets.

BELOW: Veteran Victor Loya of El Paso overcomes his fear of water as he steps off a cliff and on his way into the spring-fed waters. “It was amazing, absolutely,” said Loya of ActiVets. “I would do it again.”

ABOVE: River guide John LeRoy surveys the currents in the flood swollen Rio Gande after exiting Boquillas Canyon on September 14. 

ABOVE: ActiVets’ Mike Boren and Vietnam veteran Dr. Harold Miller spend a restful afternoon after a long day on the river and are enjoying a Big Bend sunset.

ABOVE: Veteran Kevin Moussavi-Saeedi of El Paso and a praying mantis of the Rio Grande float through Boquillas Canyon. 

ABOVE: Veteran and Veterans Administration employee Tim McKinnon (center) is served a steak from river guide Todd Russell. Veteran Cody Slatton of Odessa (behind McKinnon) was so enamored with the river trip and the beauty of the Big Bend that he is considering moving here. Slatton, who has construction experience and is a building inspector, hopes to work for the park service. Also pictured is Jackie Williams, Ph.D., (behind Slatton) of the Veterans Administration in El Paso.   

ABOVE: River guide John LeRoy, military veterans Tim McKinnon, Cody Slatton, Darren Miles, and Mike Boren enjoy watching fellow vets and river guides jump off cliffs into a spring-fed pool on a tributary of the Rio Grande.