Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin (Ret.) Delta Force Commander Visit

Thursday January 28th,  2016:
A special visit from our good friend Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William G. "Jerry" Boykin.

Retired three-star General Jerry Boykin was the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence (2002-2007) during the President George W. Bush administration. Boykin’s decorated 36-year military career included 13 years as a commando in Delta Force, the United States Army’s elite special operations, counter-terrorism unit. He served two years as a commander of Delta and participated in some of its most high-profile missions, including the Iran hostage crisis in 1980 and the “Black Hawk Down” firefight in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993. 

Rick, Jerry Boykin and Randy Wilson discussing the program as they tour our Warrior Bunkhouse. It was down to the corrals to spend time with the horses after that.

Rick Iannucci and Jerry Boykin in front of the Gold Star Memorial Wall at our Warrior Bunkhouse.

Rick and Gen. Boykin reminisced about a mission together over Thanksgiving 1987

Gen. Boykin Cowboy's Up! with our crew at breakfast the next day. From left to right; Brian Ray, Rick Iannucci, Glen Strock, Jerry Boykin and John Shannon.

NM National Guard Chaplains Retreat

"Healing the Healers"~ New Mexico National Guard Chaplains Retreat

Chaplains from the NM Army and Air National Guard enjoying a well deserved, hot lunch.

Rick Iannucci speaks to the Chaplains about the work we are doing here at the ranch addressing   "The Other Side of PTSD~ Post Traumatic Spiritual Dissonance".  

 NM National Guard Chaplains and Cowboy Up! Crew at our Warrior Bunkhouse

NM National Guard Head Chaplain, Col. Gary Ortiz passes an official "Chaplains Challenge Coin" to Executive Director Rick Iannucci in appreciation for facilitating the training.

Time for the healers to meet our four-legged healers.

Rick speaks to the Chaplains assembled around the arena fire-pit

 "Roper", "Junior" and "Knight" checking out the Chaplains.

Great start to the New Year!

Horse wellness with Dr. Bill Hampton, D.C. of Equine Spine.

Dr. Hampton has worked on horses for 30 years and for the past 10 has been teaching seminars. By far the best horse chiropractor I've seen! 

We humans from time to time get out of alignment, as it is for our animals too. When you have a joint that isn't moving right, through it normal range of motion, it can cause stiffness and pain. A chiropractic adjustment restores misaligned joints to their normal location and thus enables joints to function as they are meant to.

 Dr. Hampton begins assessing 'Hollywood's' spine.

The Doc listens with his hands to find out where the source of pain is, 

because often our eyes will deceive us.

 Some spinal adjustments and Relief!

Happy horses, happy riders!!!

Thanks Doc!

To learn more please visit Dr. Hampton's website:

www.EquineSpine.com

Happy New Year!

ODA 132 Esse Viride Non Est Facile (It's Not Easy Being Green) Visit

December 11th, 2015

It's been 30 + years ... Special Forces Operational Detachment 

(ODA 132) "the Green Team" then...

Maj. Pete is 3rd from left, Rick is 5th from left and 

MSG Tim is 6th from left in this 1983 photo.

These former team mates came to the ranch at our invitation to observe, participate and assess our Cowboy Up! program as we prepared for the upcoming year.

...and now! Major Garth, Rick, MSG Tim, Major Pete 

on the Santa Fe Plaza at Christmas 2015

OIF veteran and Cowboy Up! Instructor Eric explains
haltering and leading to the men of ODA 132.

Nancy illustrates partnership with her horse 'Jack' to the Green Berets.

 

 The "A Team" grooms their horses.

 Break for lunch in the newly renamed "ODA 132 Team Room!"

 'Roper' at liberty with Special Forces Master Sgt. Tim.
MSG Tim is also a Military Order of the Purple Heart Recipient.

 'T4' partnering with Special Forces Major Pete. Maj. Pete is also a
Military Order of the Purple Heart Recipient.

 'Houdini' and Special Forces Major Garth.

L to R: Andrew, Garth, Tim, Pete, Eric and Rick

Tim is President of Chapter 36 Military Order of the Purple Heart and Pete is the Chaplain.

The following morning we were blessed with beautiful snow. 

The other good news is that we had to go out and work in it!

 Jack enjoying his grooming before cattle work!

 After the guys knock the mud off, Rick saddles 'Roper'.

Vaseline is packed inside the shoes to keep snow from building up.

Arrival and "deployment" Bonanza Creek Ranch. 

The work goes on no matter the weather

Cowboy crew heading out to gather the cows.

 The gather...

 ...and move...

 ...across CR45...

 ...into the pasture.

Bianca's Birdseye View. 

 Moo!

Now the work begins. Time to sort.

Momma cows to the left, calves to the right.

Good Sort!

All sorted and let out to pasture.

After working, Ranch Manager Steve Price takes 

the Team to see some of Bonanza Creek's movie sets.

Here they are inside the barn built for the Billy Bob Thornton film "Astronaut Farmer". 

Other films filmed in the barn are:

A Million Ways to Die in the West,

Pineapple Express and Sweetwater

Great day for a group of Green Berets!

Company C, 1st Battalion 11th Special Forces- 1983

Have a ...

... and may you have a Joyous New Year!!!