The healing power of our mountains and what they mean to our veterans

By Rick LoBello

Soon after Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument was created by President Obama's use of the Antiquities Act, a blog post by Garett Reppenhagen, Rocky Mountain West Coordinator of the Vet Voice Foundation reminded me of some comments I heard in Las Cruces.  Earlier this year Secretary of the Interior Salley Jewell came to meet with local folks and stakeholders about the proposed national monument.  Many who spoke out at the public meeting were Veterans, and they reminded all of us of the healing power of mountains for soldiers returning from the battlefield and all the stresses of adjusting back to civilian life. It was very clear to me then and today that often times we do not think about how the mountains we want to protect are perfect locales for fighting pain and mental stresses, not just for everyday folks, but also for our Veterans.  Reppenhagen reminds all of us of this when he wrote “Veterans across America thank New Mexico Senators Udall and Heinrich for introducing legislation to help call attention to this wondrous land, and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell for taking the time to visit the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks region and listening to the input of Las Cruces area veterans

When I was growing up many of my uncles and my grandfather were Veterans of World Wars I, II and the Korean War.  When they returned home nearly all of them spent their weekends roaming the mountains of Western New York State on camping trips and during the hunting and fishing seasons.   As I look back on that time I realize how important these mountains were to my family as they dealt with the everyday stresses of not only adjusting to civilian life, but also to life in general.

Mountains have always been a source of healing in my own life and in to the lives of so many of my friends.  Here in El Paso we must not forget that we have thousands of Veterans who have recently returned from the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.   They too need the healing power of these mountains, not just in the Organs, but in the Franklin Mountains as well. 

When we talk to our friends and relatives and elected officials we should bring this point up to them and remind them that working to protect our natural heritage is not only important to our ecosystem, but also to the mental well-being of those who have fought for their country and helped to protect our freedoms.  And let us not forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, they have families here who need our mountains too.

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