Marines, Mustangs, and Manure

Recently there was a news report on television that caught my attention. There were snippets of information that I needed to investigate and this had nothing to do with gardening.  It was a story about a soldier, a marine, who came home from the war, a young man who had trouble returning back into the main stream of society.  His salvation was wild horses--the mustangs that he broke and tamed.

As often, there is a special bond between an animal and a human being, may it be dogs or horses.  There is a kinship, a loyalty, a need that is met.  In this case, it is the mustangs, wild and handsome, and spirited that helped this marine.

I couldn't help but notice how in tuned, how in step, the marine and the mustang are in this picture.

As we all know there is also a special bond between the men who serve this country that is never broken:  they become brothers.  So, this one marine wanted to help his brothers adjust in their communities after returning from the war.

This marine decided to ride his horse (plus a companion horse) across the country, starting in Surf City NC and ending in Camp Pendleton CA.  He is doing this to raise money for the Semper Fi Fund.  He plans to start his quest the first of May.  Information about his journey may be found on Facebook under the title "The Long Trail Home."

I wouldn't mind riding along with this marine and mustang in my Jeep Wrangler to pick up the horse manure and bring it home to use in my garden.  It would be so refreshing to use real manure; however, fresh manure from cows, horses, and chickens should not be used directly on plants and vegetables in the garden.  The manure has to be composted first.  I would love to have some real manure.

God's speed with this marine and his travel companions.