Every year, we embark on one of our favorite road trips: to bring Christmas cheer to the children on the Navajo Reservation. This is a tradition we deeply value, not just for the kids, but also for spending time and catching up with the many Navajo friends we have made over the years.
If you have never had the opportunity to visit the reservation, you should. The landscape is beautiful, the people are warm and welcoming, and the culture is steeped in tradition.
Our connection with the Navajos dates back to 2007, when we attended a Purple Heart ceremony and met a young, combat-wounded Navajo veteran named Alroy Billiman. Alroy was wounded in Iraq and lost an arm due to an IED explosion. Despite the self-inflicted wounds we often incur in life, he has risen to become an influential community leader whom we are very proud to call a friend.
Another friend who spent time with us was Air Force veteran Ryan Begay, an actor, filmmaker, and producer of the award-winning documentary Honor Song. This fantastic documentary is currently streaming on PBS. The Navajos have a long and proud tradition of military service to our country. Several of our own veterans appear in the film. If you want to understand why we at Wounded Heroes of America are so proud of our friendship with the Navajos, please watch this film on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/honor-song-kbmdkc/. Native Americans have always answered the call to arms, defending our land even when they were denied the right to vote.
The small group that made the trip had a great time, enjoying sightseeing, ranching, and target practice. Alroy runs a ranch for his family and is truly an expert when it comes to ranching. It was a quick but good trip.
Merry Christmas to all our friends on the Navajo Reservation!
