LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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The Leavenworth County Veterans Day Parade is the largest west of the Mississippi, but loud noises and crowds can make it hard for some veterans to celebrate.
Stephen Mustain is one of them.
As the parade made its way down Shawnee Street, Mustain watched from a distance.
He wants to be there, but it isn't easy.
"Noise is tough on me. It is for a lot of vets," Mustain said.
There are other challenges there, too.
"I'm not good in crowds," he said.
Seven out of every 100 veterans experience PTSD, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Mustain is also recovering from cancer surgery.
But he has support — a different kind of support.
His service animal, the mini horse Jeremiah, helps him stay grounded.
"He'll come up when I'm getting stressed out and just come up to me and breathe on me. And it's hard to explain, but there's something about that just takes your pulse down, relaxes you, helps you get centered again," Mustain said.
Jeremiah is more than a companion. He can sense when Mustain needs help, according to Mustain.
"There are times I stand up and my blood pressure will drop," Mustain said. "And he'll come to me because he knows I'm going to need to bend over and just lay on it to get my head below my heart. And he can sense that."
Mustain's wife, Kathryn Mustain, has seen how much Jeremiah can help.
"I know he's got somebody there taking care of him," Kathryn said.
"As his condition worsens, you can see that it's taking something away from them. They feel like they have less purpose in life. And Jeremiah has given him that purpose back because now he knows he can go out and do other things," Kathryn said.
Around the Veterans Day parade, Jeremiah was turning heads as cars drove by.
"He's so pretty," one child said. "Oh my goodness."
"Oh my goodness. It's a pony," a woman said.
Mustain said there are no quick trips anywhere now, but Jeremiah has given him his freedom back.
"Everywhere I go, he goes. He gets up in the back seat of the truck and we go," Mustain said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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