Photo By Master Sgt. Daniel Griego | In this image, Texas National Guard 1st Lt. Ragnar Jamieson, the deputy communications...... read more read more
ROUND ROCK, Texas - "It's a childhood dream," said Army National Guard 1st Lt. Ragnar Jamieson. "I played baseball for years and now I'm actually going to be able to go out on a professional baseball field and throw out a pitch, so it feels pretty good."
Jamieson fulfilled this dream May 21 by throwing the first pitch at the AAA League Round Rock Express baseball game, held at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The National Guardsman, who serves as the deputy communications officer for Joint Task Force 136 (Maneuver Enhancement Brigade), earned this distinction for his work with Horses for Heroes, a support program for wounded warriors that pairs injured veterans with riding horses to augment their physical therapy.
"The Horses for Heroes organization is one of the programs that ROCK, Ride on Center for Kids, in Georgetown, has," said Jamieson. "We help Soldiers coming in from overseas and we give them therapy from horses. I can personally say that I've benefited a lot from it."
While ROCK is an open organization for the public, the Horses for Heroes program specifically targets veterans going through physical therapy after combat tours. ROCK's vision is "to be the trusted leader in equine-assisted activities through service, education, and research," with 15 years of service to Central Texas
"[Horses for Heroes] started in 2005 when Scott Schuler came over from Fort Hood and told us that the general out there asked him to get Soldiers on horses," said Heidi Derning, the co-coordinator for ROCK. "Horses are just amazing to partner with for healing. Horses just have a fantastic gift of mirroring people's emotions."
Jamieson's spouse, Renee Jamieson, works as a therapeutic riding instructor for ROCK and helped to bring the combat veteran into the program that has since given him so much.
"It's been wonderful since he's been a part of the program," said Renee. "Not only for him to partner with other service members and veterans but also to see him with a horse is just a dream of mine and I've seen a lot of changes in him. It's been a blessing for our family and also for him and I'm just really proud."
By throwing the ceremonial first pitch, Ragnar hopes to increase exposure for his program and the help it provides to service members like himself.
"We've had a relationship with the Round Rock Express for years. They've been really supportive," said Derning. "The reason we're here tonight is because we're doing a promotion with the Fund for Veterans Assistance, and that is the reason we're even able to fund as many veterans as we have participating in Horses for Heroes. We want to recognize Ragnar Jamieson and Erik Stoeckle for their service and their participation, but we also want to shine a light on the Fund for Veterans Assistance, part of the Texas Veterans Commission, as they are our main funding source for the programs that we have."
As longtime supporters of Texas veterans and ROCK in particular, the Round Rock Express were proud to be a part of Jamieson's recognition and the work of Horses for Heroes.
"It means everything," said Tim Jackson, the director of community relations for the Round Rock Express. "We owe a debt of gratitude for all of our freedoms, especially playing something like a game of baseball. So any chance we have to highlight or honor the service of a veteran or an active duty person, we feel like it's our duty to do that, so we're very thankful for the fact that we have Lt. Jamieson here tonight. It means a lot to us and I know it means a lot to our fans."
Honored and humbled to have thrown the opening pitch for the Express, Jamieson gives the credit for his recognition to Horses for Heroes, and looks forward to sharing its assistance with veterans throughout the state.
"It's a great program and I would like to spread the word on that," said Jamieson, "not just to the unit that I'm in but also to all the soldiers around the area. They should definitely come out and check it out."
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2014 17:09 |
| Story ID: | 130840 |
| Location: | ROUND ROCK, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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