Can Veterans Rebuild Their Lives?

All veterans' lives matter from Theresa Chaze on Vimeo.


A chance meeting created Horses and Heroes.  I met an elderly gentleman in the Borders café.  He was wearing a hat that identified him as a veteran.  I thanked him for his service and we started chatting about his experiences in WW II.  At the time, I was mentally taking notes for a scripted series I was writing called, Operation Home Base; however, our conversation showed me that I had the means to help in a very meaningful way.

His name was William Greene.  Decades later, he still hadn’t come to terms with his guilt and regret.  He survived, but his many of buddies didn’t.  He killed good men just because of where they happen to be born.  Through him, I connected the dots between Operation Home Base and another project, which lead to the creation of Horses and Heroes.

It is easy to get political and throw verbal rock at individuals and agencies.  But what good does it really do?  Pointing out the problem doesn’t create solutions.  Everyone knows what needs to be done.  But many people are too busy pointing fingers to actually find answers.

Horses and Heroes is my solution.  It is a Realty TV series that focuses on healing rather than glorifying bad behavior.  Working with the horses helps veterans find new ways to cope with their physical and emotional challenges.  Telling their stories in a safe, supportive environment gives them the means to face their ghosts head on.   Horses and Heroes can’t get them back what they lost.  War took that person. Yet it doesn’t have to be the end of their story.  One of my favorite sayings is, “You can’t go back and make a brand new start, but you can start from now and make a brand new end.”  Horses and Heroes will help veterans find the strength and courage within themselves to rebuild their lives and create that brand new end.

Everyone serves in the own way.  Although, I don’t have the temperament for the military, I greatly respect those who stand the wall.  I choose use my talents to help veterans tell their stories in such a way that they will heal themselves and show others that healing is possible.

Equine Therapy does not involve drugs nor lying on a couch and spilling their guts to a therapist. What it does do is help them find new ways to see and react to their emotional triggers. It helps their bodies remember how it used to work. It can't replace what was lost, but it can give them the confidence to see that they are more than the sum of their body parts and life experiences. Horses and Heroes will give veterans and military personnel the information they need to find alternative healing solutions, which can help lower the suicide rate.

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