“Our nation’s public lands are places where veterans can go to let their guard down”

Eric Gonzales, is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and is currently a battalion chief for the City of Santa Fe Fire Department.

I was born and raised in Santa Fe and spent most of my childhood in the mountains — fishing and hunting on public lands. After high school, I joined the Santa Fe Fire Department and eventually the Navy Reserves, attending field medical school in 2005. In September 2010, I was assigned to an Army unit deployed to Afghanistan for 18 months. I served as a medic for both infantry and flight crews, responding to over 1,000 combat-related calls.

During the dark days of combat, I would often think about the fishing and hunting trips from my childhood. I’d remember how relaxing it was to be outdoors in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado, sitting around a campfire with my dad, brother and uncles. Those joyful memories helped sustain me through the war. I realized I wasn’t just fighting to protect our communities back home, but also for our public lands and all the memories that went with them.

Since returning from Afghanistan, America’s public lands have given me a great sense of peace, healing and wholeness. I am an avid fisherman and love to fish the rivers and lakes throughout the southern Rockies. As a bowhunter, some of my best memories are elk hunting in the Gila National Forest, as well as hunting with my wife in the forests of northern New Mexico. Our nation’s public forests, mountains, and rivers are places where veterans can go to let their guard down and enjoy the solitude and beauty of nature.

I firmly believe that if we don’t speak up and advocate for our public lands, they will disappear. Our public lands are a vital part of our nation’s culture, history, and traditions and we all have a duty to work together to help our kids and families stay connected to America’s public lands, water and wildlife.

So many of our country’s parks and public lands written about in these love notes would not exist but for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It’s why Congress should fund the program permanently. Follow the movement along at #FundLWCF. Learn more here.

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Would you like to write about public lands that you cherish? Please email Mary Jo Brooks at brooksm@nwf.org for guidelines.