Horses have healing powers. We wrote earlier of the man with the broken heart who left Quebec, hitched a wagon on to two horses and made his way out west.
Now veterans are making an 11,000 kilometre trek by horse to raise awareness.
Veteran Paul Nicholls left Victoria, British Columbia on Monday and hopes to make the journey over the next season and into the fall. His hopes is to finish the cross country trip by November.
Nicholls, a former veteran of the Balkan conflict, and from Quesnel, British Columbia said his intention is to make stops along the way. His purpose is to raise awareness from other Canadians about how Canadian and military veterans are doing after their time in service.
“The Canadian people love their troops,” said Nicholls at a ceremony marking the start of his Communities for Veterans cross-Canada ride. “There’s just no question about that. It’s just often-times we don’t know who our veterans are.”
After his times in the battlefields, Nicholls said he struggled to return to civilian life, a situation that other veterans also faced.
The more the public and veterans understand each other, the easier the transition back to the life they had before service will be, he believes.
“I can tell you from personal experience that a heart-felt thank you and timely support from a community, during that time of transition, can be life changing,” he said.
Nicholls said he believes when he and his posse ride into towns their presence will create discussion and awareness about military service and the issues veterans face when they return home after serving their country in conflict zones.
h/t: Canadian Press
