That high intensity to low intensity is so polarizing, I think it can kill you. I know it can kill you.”

***

The path that put Micah Fink, 36, in the middle of nowhere, in the wilderness, driving war heroes on horseback through raw conditions, wearing authentic cowboy garb and enduring the elements is one almost as grecian as it is quintessentially American.

And it all began in the late summer of 2001.

“It was just gray and foggy and cars were smashed. Climbed inside the World Trade Center, was there when the Citibank tower fell. We ended up staying there all night. It was one of the most sad feelings I ever felt in my life.”

“I remember consciously thinking that I was going to do something.”

Fink did. After experiencing the biggest attack on American soil firsthand, he joined the United States Navy, and became one of their elite operators: a SEAL. After serving valiantly all over the world for ten years, including numerous tours of combat, Fink ended his military career, and was looking for a new adventure. But not any.

“You come home from combat, and combat doesn’t make you sick, it’s not a disease. It’s a set of experiences that are really intense. The culture changes you. War changes you. You can’t help but be changed.”

He needed a mission that not only helped tackle his demons, and gave him new purpose, but one that would do so for other veterans like him.

“In 2013, I took my own money and created the nonprofit Heroes and Horses … it’s an innovative approach to help the returning veteran reintegrate into society.”

In the following video, Fink presents his unorthodox, yet effective approach to getting struggling and transitioning veterans back to where they feel fulfilled in their life, once again. It’s a philosophy that takes into account his father’s advice, and what he believes is the key to living.

“Without struggle, these guys would never have found what they lost. It’s struggle that gives things in life value.”

The production is presented by YETI, a proud supporter of America’s military veterans and a brand that now offers this incredible discount to members of the military community.