Vet Courts Help Defendants Get Back on Track The United States has several military branches that they train to defend and protect our freedom and soil at all costs. These warriors are broken down mentally and physically to be prepared for the adversity that war brings. Although some would say these militants are some of the best in the world, nothing can prepare a soldier for the toll that war brings the soul. Many soldiers come back home from war with a list of physical, mental, and emotional conditions, some may not even be aware that they might be suffering from a condition, leaving them to go on day to day without proper treatment. In some cases, an afflicted veteran then turns to drugs, alcohol, or even violence because they do not …show more content…
Russell saw how many veterans where coming and going through municipal courts with charges related to their untreated conditions as a result of war who were going to jail or prison, which only makes the situation worse with already emotionally and physically sensitive vets. Russell knew there had to be a way to better serve those who once served us with nothing but courage. With Vet Courts defendants can expect to be treated fairly, get access to VA benefits they need and in come cases, rehab or housing might even be a option. Defendants aren’t just given a slap on the wrist for committed crimes, instead public servants in vet courts go above and beyond to understand why these vets did what they did, what they can do to help them overcome these obstacles and to stay on the right path. With this pioneering system in place that had such a high success rate, courts across the pond started following in their footsteps. “The court, like more than 50 others created during the past three years across the nation, specializes in working with troubled veterans to get them counseling, link them to government benefits, help them regain a sense of discipline and camaraderie they had in uniform, and steer them onto a more positive course in life.” said William H. McMichael in his article, “Special Courts Help Vets Regain Discipline”. In McMichael’s article he follows two veterans who were in Russell 's’ Vet Court program. One veteran John Clum was deployed twice, both instances in very dangerous zones with multiple fatalities of close friends. Once back home, Clum faced many demons without help. He began to depend on alcohol, which led to his two DUI’s that landed him in jail where he tried to commit suicide. While in jail he heard about vet courts and immediately wanted to join the program. From the courts he got stabilizing medication, got to work as a volunteer
Marchesini describes how Vietnam veterans are different from veterans who served in different wars. She claims that the veterans from Vietnam had it worse than any other veterans. Most of these men were traumatized leading them to have schizophrenia while other veterans adjusted well to their treatments. “Vietnam veterans were unlike the veterans of other conflicts because they had to deal with guilt over war experiences as well as rejection by their parents and society for having fought in an unpopular war ( pg 74).” Vietnam veterans were not welcomed back when they were sent back home.
“How dark would you have to paint a vet to make him or her beyond sympathy” (Molin,Onward to DC–War Writing at AWP17). After returning from war, a veteran expects one thing which is sympathy. Veterans are stereotyped as these troubled men who are traumatized from the war. Peter Molin challenges this stereotype by questioning what a veteran needs to do to be viewed as more than just a traumatized war hero by saying what can makes a veteran “beyond sympathy.” Veterans are accustomed to being treated with sympathy due to the fact that civilians view them as troubled by the war, which is only a myth.
In his article “The Civil War's Hidden Legacy” Horowitz discusses 25 year old corporal John Hildt who who had lost his right arm during battle and then “lost his mind” (Horwitz). John Hildt was an example of what the hard realities of war do to some of those who have experienced it first hand. After John had served his country and lost his in arm in the the war he was institutionalized in a government hospital for the insane because he was said to be suffering from acute mania (Horwitz). According to Horowitz’s research John Hildt had no previous history of mental disorders. It could be assumed that Corporal Hildt’s was afflicted by PTSD and not a physical exertion of some sort.
Society thinks that this problems come from the stress they go in war known as PTSD. I acknowledge that the PTSD is to regards the fault, killed, and grief soldiers experience in war. Tom and Anthony walked for five months to regain confidence, hope, and love. When soldiers come back from war, they have to fight with mental demons like flashbacks. This leads the soldiers to cope with unhealthy ways like drinking alcohol.
In Soldier from the War Returning, Thomas Childers writes that “a curious silence lingers over what for many was the last great battle of the war.” This final battle was the soldier’s return home. After World War II, veterans came back to the United States and struggled with stigmatized mental illnesses as well as financial and social issues. During the war, many soldiers struggled with mental health issues that persisted after they came home.
What has distinguished Vietnam veterans from most of their predecessors is that the public 's detestation of the war seemed to be directed onto them, as if it was their fault. Thus they did not return as heroes, but as men suspected in participating in shocking cruelty and wickedness or feared to be drug addicts. The combination of society rejecting them, the government ignoring them, and their families not understanding to them, caused Vietnam veterans to self-destruct both mentally and sometimes physically.
Imagine joining the military at a young age, preparing to see the world, make new friends, and form a bond that often rivals that of close siblings. Only to endure the unthinkable the unimaginable an attack not by a foreign enemy but at the hands of a fellow soldier or superior officer. This is the tragic truth for many soldiers, both men and women alike, it is not uncommon and it is an invisible wound that lasts long after the soldier returns to civilian life. This paper will reflect the importance of change within the Veterans Administration regarding Military Sexual Trauma. Ruth Moore, joined the military at the tender age of eighteen from a poor background expecting the military to help her pay for college.
(Alexander, 15). No matter their fate of fighting in war, a soldier will be permanently changed by it. However if they are able to reach for help from others, then they could get their life back on track. Veterans need the support of others in order to cope with their mental
Substance Abuse in Returning Combat Veterans Returning combat veterans have difficulties contributing to our society based on their problems with substance abuse. There is an issue of returning combat veterans not being able to afford treatment for their illnesses, so they resort to self-medicating and use drugs and alcohol. Although it is worth considering that some combat veterans manage to escape their addiction for some time, but will usually end up relapsing and only hurt themselves more. We may also be concerned about some combat veterans not being able to adjust to their new lives and resorting to substance abuse a method of stress relief.
This article was about Andrew Brannan, a Vietnam veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”), who shot and killed 22 years old Deputy Kyle Dinkheller in Dublin Georgia. On January 12, 1998, Brannan was pulled over by Laurens County Sheriff Deputy Kyle Dinkheller for driving nearly 100 miles down a country road near Dublin, GA. Once pulled over, 66 year-old Brannan exited his truck and started screaming he was “a goddamn Vietnam veteran” and yelling profanities at Deputy Dinkheller. Then Brannan retrieved a rifle from his truck and fired several shot at Deputy Dinkheller. The deputy was able to return fire but was ultimately killed by Brannan.
Years after the war, and after returning home to a somewhat normal lifestyle, a majority of veterans suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder also known as PTSD is a delayed effect of the mind that includes severe cases of anxiety, regularly occurring panic attacks, and severe cases of rage. psychological disorders often led to divorce, drug abuse, and especially suicide. The war in Vietnam had the most cases of suicide amongst veterans than any other war in American history. More cases of psychological disorders resulted from Vietnam rather than World War I and II because unlike the two world wars, Vietnam wasn't a war with straight battle lines of back and fourth fire in which the position of the enemy
The effectiveness of interventions within the scope of occupational therapy practice, is to improve or maintain the driving performance and community mobility of combat veterans who return home from training, or war, who are continuously using military tactics when operating a vehicle. Even though these factors compromise the safety of the veterans and of other road users, little evidence currently exists on driving intervention for returning combat veterans (Classen, Monahan, Canonizado, and Winter, pg. 405.
Another issue that veterans struggle with when they come back from war is mental illnesses like PTSD. According to “bringing the war back home”, “Of 103 788 OEF/OIF veterans seen at VA health care facilities, 25 658 (25%) received mental health diagnosis(es)”. This disabilities can make getting into the workforce much more difficult and even leave veterans to live on the streets from lack of employment. The solution discovered from this research is that if these mental diseases are caught early enough, the veterans will receive the help they need and be able to continue their normal civilian lives. “Targeted early detection and intervention beginning in primary care settings are needed to prevent chronic mental illness and
The article “Psychological and Marital Distress in spouses of Vietnam Veterans: Importance of Spouses’ Perceptions,” by Keith D. Renshaw, Thomas L. Rodebaugh and Camila S. Rodrigues, addresses how psychological disorders affect veterans and their spouse. It is possible that he murdered his wife and disposed of her body in the Lake. John feared losing his wife, and thought that he was. So, he sent her to her eternal rest where only he can have her. John Wade created the illusion that he was unaware of what happened to Kathy.
The US has grappled with many questions about society’s obligations as to whether or not to offer services and benefits to the men and women in the armed forces. Supporters argue that helping veterans will help the society as whole and opponents argue that we shouldn’t be increasing our federal government spending in repaying veterans. Although I do see where people can argue that we are spending too much money on helping veterans after war, I believe that the government owes them for what they have done for the country, despite the cost. The government owes certain benefits to veterans because the men and women in the armed forces deserve to be welcomed home with a generous system of services for what they have done for the country. Helping veterans goes way back all the way to the 1600s.