Vet’s Art Stops in Britton

David Williams is a Navy veteran with a Traumatic Brain Injury. He is also founder of Joint Operation Mariposa (JOM), an organization dedicated to bringing awareness to veterans’ suicide and services to under-represented veterans. On top of all of that, Williams also happens to be an artist. These different roles brought Williams to Britton last week as part of the special journey.

Williams and Heather Allen, the Vice President of JOM, visited the VFW in Britton on Thursday as they traveled across the country, hauling with them a unique piece of art. The painting displayed was six feet tall and eight feet wide and depicted a solitary green horse on a white background painted on burlap. The color of the horse is a nod to Green Star Families, families that have lost a veteran to suicide.

The painting that Williams and Allen brought to Britton was just one part of a huge 1000 foot long piece of art called “Guardians of the Herd.” The painting depicts several horses, many of which have special meaning, like representing different branches of the military and different veteran groups. Williams created the painting with the help of fellow Montana artist Hailee Steinebach four years ago for another local project.

While viewing the artwork, the artist invited veterans and their families to sign the back of it. By certain names, there were green stars, which denoted veterans who lost their lives to suicide. “Around twenty veterans die by suicide per day in the U.S.,” noted Williams. Allen, who is also a veteran, added, “We want to let people know they are not alone. Veterans are struggling everywhere.”

Williams and Allen’s Britton stop last week was part of a long journey across the country. The pair, who reside in Montana, are in the process of driving the painting from Neah Bay, Washington all the way to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Along the way, they are making two to five stops per day at military bases and veterans service organizations to share the artwork and raise awareness of their cause. Their journey ended earlier this week in D.C. when Montana Congressman Matt Rosendale accepted it on behalf of the nation.

Williams said their original idea was to walk the artwork across the country, but when COVID hit, that was not possible. In the years since, they had to change their plan. Allen ended up purchasing a truck to haul the artwork in. The vehicle also features a special wrap dedicated to the “Guardians of the Herd” art piece. They also invite veterans and their families to sign the truck, which they will auction off after the journey to raise funds for JOM.

In the end, Williams hopes the art and journey will help others. “Art is how I found my way home,” he says. “If this mission can help one person, one family, or one community find the answers they need to begin to fight this problem, it’s worthwhile” he said.

All of the “Guardians of the Herd” artwork is in the process of being donated to tribal and veterans organizations as requested by veterans from across the country, according to Allen. To learn more about Joint Operation Mariposa, the artwork and their journey, visit their Facebook page. To donate to the organization, check out their website, jointoperationmariposa.org/. They can also be reached at info@jommt.org.