A Navajo veteran shares his powerful journey from war trauma to healing, guided by faith, compassion, and an unexpected bond with a wild mustang.
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A Navajo Indian Veteran’s Journey (Part 2)
One day, a flashback to a wartime explosion froze me in place. In an instant, my mind was back in Iraq. Sensing my distress, Teesh—my wild mustang—stepped closer and rested his head on my shoulder. He gently shook his head and breathed warm air from his nostrils. That quiet, tender gesture brought me back to reality.
For nearly a decade after first learning about Falun Gong, I walked alone. In Iraq, my focus was simply surviving and fulfilling my duty. Back home, my family was falling apart—wife and son left. The only practitioner I knew was my father, who offered his support through emails to me at war.
In a 2007 email, he wrote, “I hope you’re still trying to read as much of Zhuan Falun as time permits.” Father never pressured me, but I never took his words lightly. He gave Zhuan Falun to my siblings, even my mother got a copy. My younger brother Michael also became a practitioner.
Though I kept faith in Falun Gong, I could not call myself a true practitioner. I had never learned the exercises. But I was a true believer.
Falun Gong protected my life during the war. But it didn’t spare me from hardships at home. After Iraq, I returned to an empty house, feeling miserable. And my health began to unravel. A burning pain coursed through my body, and I had trouble sleeping. At age 37, I kept forgetting things like an old man.
Many veterans had similar experiences. After experiencing injuries and shell shock during the war, some veterans were haunted by war traumas for years. Some even became homeless.
I decided to become a true practitioner. I intensified my effort reading Master Li’s teachings. Practitioners’ stories on Minghui.org were very helpful. I also connected with practitioners in Austin to study and practice together. Practitioners were like family to me. The group environment allowed me to see and fix my own problems.
Changes came quickly. War memories faded, mental fog lifted, and I felt happier, lighter, and full of energy. I learned to let go of the deep resentment toward my mother and ex-wife and found greater peace within myself. As I healed, I felt a strong calling to help fellow veterans.
One day in the summer of 2013, a friend told me about a program called Mustang Mentors for Veterans. The program lets veterans learn to tame the wild horses. Instead of forcing them into submission by whipping and roping, veterans use a different approach called “gentling”. The program was essentially a therapy session that helps veterans heal their traumas and learn practical skills. The program also transforms mustangs into service horses.
Horses played a crucial role in shaping world history. One needs to look no further than the rise of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, with unmatched cavalry mobility, Genghis Khan and his descendants swept across Eurasia, and dominated vast territories for nearly 150 years.
The Navajo people see horses as sacred gifts from the Holy People. Wild mustangs—descendants of horses brought by the Spaniards—became an integral part of Navajo life and identity.
As wild horse numbers grew, grasslands across the West began to suffer from overgrazing. To mitigate the impact, some mustangs were slaughtered, while dealers from Canada and Mexico bought them cheap and exported the meat overseas. Navajo people were outraged.
Convinced of Mustang program’s benefit, I enrolled in a three-month session at Weir, Texas. On the first day, I chose Teesh, a beautiful black stallion, as my partner. Teesh was recently rounded up from the wild and untouched by human. Without any horse experience, my job was to transform him into an obedient horse.
Facing a 1,000-pound wild animal was nerve-racking for me. Teesh was equally frightened. Whenever I approached, he bolted. I kept talking to him, meeting his eyes, and projecting positive energy. Trust formed quickly between us. I could touch him by the end of the day. Four days later, I mounted him. My instructors and fellow veterans were impressed. They thought I was a skilled horseman.
During the program, I improved my Falun Gong cultivation and developed greater compassion for others—including horses. Teesh was sensitive to my emotions. Whenever I had negative thoughts, he knew and always tried to comfort me. Over time, we developed a strong mutual trust. Strangely enough, Teesh helped me to become a better man.
After the program, Teesh was bought by a private owner and began his new life. Many tamed horses went on to serve with police and border patrol agencies.
In early 2014, after the Mustang program, I told my father about my experience. We saw an opportunity to do something for the community. We wanted to show people the new way to tame wild horses.
We attended a ceremony in northern Arizona that drew hundreds of people, many of them owned mustangs. With only a rope in hand, I met my second wild mustang. By making eye contact and forming emotional connections, I was able to touch him in 20 minutes. People were stunned. The same job usually took a skilled trainer days, even weeks.
A 15-year-old boy with autism asked me to teach him to train his wild horse. Ninety minutes later, he was riding the horse—for the first time in his life. The boy’s parents were in tears.
Falun Gong taught me to approach all beings with compassion. Horses can feel that sincerity, and once trust is established, everything flows naturally. Beyond technique, that compassion is my true secret. True compassion is internal; people cannot fake it.
Subsequently, we were invited to participate in a week-long 100 mile “Trail Ride”. A group of activists rode on horsebacks and stopped every 20 miles to demonstrate wild horse gentling. While I worked with the horses, my father was passing Falun Gong flyers and doing exercise demo. Together we made very positive impressions among Navajo people. Many people support the idea of building a horse therapy facility.
We convinced the Coalmine Canyon Chapter House to allocate a piece of land for a facility. My father donated a large portion of his saving to buy construction supplies. People also donated materials and labor. In two months, we completed a 40-foot diameter pen inside a 90 feet pen. We called the facility “Native American Re-conditioning Center”.
The center was free for veterans and local Navajo people; they only needed to bring their horses. As the trainer, I always shared my Falun Gong story and my experience at the Mustang Mentors. We also introduced Falun Gong to those who showed interest. After people learned to have compassion, horse training became much easier.
Over the next four months, about 80 people enrolled in the program. They were deeply impressed by how effective the gentling method was. After the course, most participants left with new insights into horse training and greater confidence in themselves.
Our program attracted some prominent figures. Well-known Navajo horse activist Leland Grass came to learn my “gentling” method. He later became a major proponent of horse gentling in Navajo Nation.
Our original goal with the facility was to demonstrate the new method and get government funding to expand the center into a permanent horse therapy center. However, the plan never came to fruition. By the end of 2014, we had run out of funds and were forced to close the center.
Despite the setback, our efforts created a powerful ripple effect that reshaped people’s views on wild horse management. As a result, thousands of horses were saved, and many veterans gained better health and new hope.
In summer 2017, a man named Larry Mahan called and invited me to in his Texas ranch to work on his horses. I said yes, not knowing who he was. He turned out to be a six-time World Champion in professional rodeo and a character in the 1974 Oscar-winning documentary The Great American Cowboy. In addition to my horse skills, he was interested to hear my Falun Gong story. We became good friends.
In addition to my work with mustangs, I also dabbled in journalism with NTD Network. Serving my country and my community brings me great joy. In 2019, I married a wonderful woman and embraced family life once again.
Falun Gong saved my life in war and gave me a new purpose. I am truly blessed.