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Members of Joint Operation Mariposa and Plains School students teamed up in Helena last week to present a special painting to the Veterans Administration Medical Center at Fort William Henry Harrison.  

Dave Williams, president and founder of Joint Operation Mariposa, led the Plains delegation to present a large framed painting of a horse to Dr. Judy Hayman, the VA director in Helena. The painting of a blue horse was part of the "Guardians of the Herd," which was composed of 216 colorful horses that stretched more than 1,000 feet on the greenway along Railroad Street in Plains in 2018. The horse display, which was painted by Williams and Haylee Steinebach, a Plains High School student, was a form of "guerrilla art" that makes a statement and goes up without notice or fanfare. Williams was the primary artist of the blue horse painting, which has an unfinished back leg, representing" the veterans that came home with seen and unseen scars of their service to our country," said Williams, a U.S. Navy veteran. "The incomplete leg means the veterans' journey is not done. And I'm a disabled veteran and my journey is not complete," added Williams.

It was the Plains High School National Honor Society that decided to give the blue horse to the VA in Helena, said Williams. The Plains group included Steinebach, a Plains High School sophomore, Clayton Hill and Dustee Hayes, both juniors, Macey Scott, a sophomore, and Izzy Hardy, a fourth-grader, along with Plains High School Principal Kevin Meredith and his wife, Marlee. The entourage included Joint Operation Mariposa Vice President Ed Foste, and his wife, Mimi Foste, a board member, Heather Allen, a board member and the quartermaster for VFW Post 3596 in Plains, and Marilyn Carey, Joint Operation Mariposa 2019 Volunteer of the Year. 

"There are some pretty amazing kids at this school," said Williams, who added that the students selected the VA hospital because the horse represented the disabled veteran. Williams and Ed Foste, also a Navy vet, founded Joint Operation Mariposa in 2016 as a veteran's advocacy and outreach organization to bring awareness to the needs of veterans in Sanders County through art and education. "Joint Operation Mariposa cares about and recognizes all veterans, their families and honorable caregivers," according to the nonprofit organization's mission statement.

"This was first horse to really leave the herd," said Foste, a disabled vet who spent 20 years in the Navy. "It's the place it should be. It shows that the next generation (the Plains students) is honoring the past generation of veterans," he said.

"I'm really glad we donated it to the VA because they're helping disabled veterans," said the 15-year-old Steinebach, who spoke to the crowd during the near two-hour ceremony. Steinebach told the group how she was connected to the organization and what the blue horse meant to her. "I'm really grateful that I've had this experience and I wish more young people would get involved with their community," said Steinebach.

"The ceremony was very fitting with the stories told by those who spoke. The heart-felt stories of their appreciation of the military and the meaning behind the blue horse painting, as well as the rest of the collection were moving to me and everyone in the room," said Allen.

The ceremony was attended by U.S. Army National Guard Maj. Matt Amble, Montana Rep. Julie Dooling, her husband, Joe Dooling, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, and John Mues, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. During the ceremony, the students unveiled the 6-foot tall by 8-foot long blue horse to the crowd. 

"I'm hoping they hang the painting where the veterans and their families see it when they come in. I also hope there will be a plaque or something that describes the meaning behind the painting, which will make it more meaningful to those who see it," said Allen, a U.S. Air Force veteran. "I love the meaning behind this painting and the fact that it acknowledges the families of disabled veterans. Whether the veterans' injuries are physical or mental, the families are their main support during the healing process," she said.

In the original Guardians of the Herd, Williams painted a horse for each of the five military branches and is in the process of finding permanent homes for each one. The Coast Guard horse has been adopted by a Plains Elementary School third grade class, which started a pen pal relationship with Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team 15 in Kennewick, Washington. Williams is still working on homes for the other four. He has a special plan for the Green Star Horse, which symbolizes Green Star families, who are impacted by veteran suicides. Williams and Steinebach specifically painted the entire guardian herd on burlap. "I chose burlap because military people are cut from a different cloth," said Williams, who spent four years in the Navy.

"It was a very humbling event that the kids presented this painting that represents all of us veterans that came back home," said Williams, who plans to set up a relay journey for the green horse from Washington state to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and is gathering volunteers for the walk across the country. Williams hopes the painting will end up in the Smithsonian Institute. Foste said they hope to start the green horse walk in August.