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Don’t Just Say Thank You, Show Your Thanks

From the Free Lance Star

VETERANS today face a very different world than did veterans returning from Vietnam. Praise and adulation have replaced contempt and public humiliation.

That we offer more respect now, however, doesn’t alter the fact that the post-service trauma today’s veterans endure is any less than that suffered by Vietnam vets.

Daniel Cortez, a decorated Vietnam veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps, says that the military trains soldiers to show no weakness or compassion toward its enemies. But, he continues, “such mindsets instilled by our initial military indoctrination remain a double-edged sword. It’s needed on the battlefield, but not in transition after the battle is over.”

For many vets, the nightmares and survivor’s guilt they feel becomes overwhelming, leading them to drugs and, eventually, the legal system. According to Justice for Vets, about 1 in 5 veterans has symptoms of a mental health disorder or cognitive impairment.

Enter the Rappahannock Regional Veterans Treatment Docket, an intensive program for former service members who find themselves in legal trouble.

Part of a national movement that Judge Robert Russell of the Buffalo City Court launched during the 1990s, the RRVTD offers offenders the chance to avoid jail time if they complete a rigorous 18-month program.

Begun in Spotsylvania by Judge Ricardo Rigual, also a former Marine; state Sen. Bryce Reeves, R–Spotsylvania; and public defender Wendy Harris, the RRVTD brings together treatment specialists, probation officers, counselors, and mentors like Cortez, to work with accepted individuals to break their addictions, deal with suicidal thoughts, land jobs, and avoid jail time, thereby keeping their criminal records clean.

The country may feel irretrievably divided, but programs like RRVTD are finding broad bipartisan support. In 2019, Congress passed the Veterans Treatment Court Coordination Act, which empowered “the Department of Justice to create a program that would provide funding and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments with veterans treatment courts or the intent to begin one,” according to Washington Military news.

Locally, that bill was supported both by congressional representatives Rob Wittman, R–1st, and Abigail Spanberger, D–7th.

The National Vet Court Alliance, chaired by Cortez, raises money to support the RRVTD and to help spread the program to other jurisdictions.

The alliance’s primary goal now is to raise funds to develop a “housing center, with vehicles to help get vets to work as they demonstrate contrition and earn back their driving privileges as part of the docket program,” according to Cortez. A key supporter has been GOYA Chief Executive Officer Bob Unanue, who is involved nationally and internationally in efforts to support vets.

This program is a welcome reminder that there are better ways to deal with drug addiction, alcoholism, and nonviolent infractions than by putting people behind bars.

By recognizing that veterans often fall into their legal troubles because of the trauma they have endured, most can appreciate that these individuals are not totally responsible for the places they find themselves in.

Rick Rein, a recent graduate of RRVTD, said well what the program taught him: “This program helped me believe I was a person worth saving, and that’s the biggest lesson I learned.”

We tip our collective hats to Judge Rigual, Cortez, and the many volunteers who work to raise the money needed to make this program work and give these deserving individuals a chance to reclaim their lives.

Further, we would hope that people could begin to extend that same compassion to others. Poverty, physical disabilities, circumstances arising over which people have no control such as sudden job loss, devastating illness, massive medical debt, and more can send any of us into depression, or worse. And like vets, these people can find themselves in legal trouble.

Their lives, too, are worth saving. The individuals benefit, to be sure. But so, too, society (it costs far less to rehabilitate people than to incarcerate them).

We understand that some will argue the answer to avoiding the court system is to exercise “personal responsibility” and not do something that puts you in that position to begin with.

Cortez and the vets docket shows, however, that personal responsibility falls on each of us, too, to care for those who need our help.

That more-compassionate understanding of personal responsibility is helping our vets. Imagine what it could do for others.

To learn more about the vets docket, visit nationalvetcourtalliance.org.

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Help Getting There

Getting participants in the Rappahannock Regional Veterans Treatment Docket to mandatory counseling, treatment sessions, support meetings and court appearances can be trying due to transportation problems, said Wendy Harris, deputy public defender in Spotsylvania County.

She and Judge Ricardo Rigual helped start the program in 2018 along with support from the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sheriff’s Office and Rappahannock Regional Jail. It’s modeled after drug-court programs and offers veterans the chance to have charges dismissed if they complete the intensive 18-month program. Only nonviolent offenders are eligible.

At Thursday’s regular session, Rigual checked in with eight veterans going through the five program phases and asked if each had any problems. One woman said she’d been late to a mandatory meeting because of transportation issues. Rigual congratulated her for also mentioning solutions she’d considered, to keep from being late again, but said he still had to impose a sanction against her. He added another half hour to her community service requirements.

Many veterans have lost driver’s licenses after being charged with driving under the influence, Harris said. Rigual has drafted legislation, asking Virginia to not impose that restriction on veterans going through this type of treatment program. In the first year alone, they’re required to attend sessions almost every day, Harris said.

One graduate told the court that he’d paid Uber drivers more than $800 to get him to sessions.

Each veteran has a mentor assigned and all are former servicemembers who volunteer their time just like all the court, police and jail officials involved with the program. Mentors try to drive veterans to as many appointments as they can but some have limited availability because of full-time jobs, Harris said.

She said the program is always is need of donations of gift cards for Uber and Lyft rides as well as more volunteer mentors. Anyone interested can contact her at wbharris@vadefenders.org.

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An Important Donation

A $20,000 DONATION

The National Vet Court Alliance, a Stafford County-based group focused on increasing the number of veterans dockets nationwide and decreasing the prevalence of suicide among former servicemembers, donated $20,000 last week to the Rappahannock Regional Veterans Treatment Docket.

The money came from a partnership between the alliance and lead sponsor GOYA foods, said Daniel Cortez, group chairman. He and Bob Unanue, CEO of GOYA, previously served together on a national commission.

Cortez said the partnership will work to raise $1 million as seed money for construction of a local complex to serve veterans throughout the Fredericksburg region. The effort is needed, Cortez said, to combat national statistics cited on the alliance’s website, which states an average of 20 to 22 veterans commit suicide every day and more than 500,000 face legal problems.

“Our veterans are the backbone of our nation,” Unanue said. “GOYA is proud to stand with the National Vet Court Alliance and the compassionate actions of Virginia’s Veteran Treatment Courts and Dockets.”

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Veteran Court Program Grad Shows Level of Bravery That Most People Can’t Face

From the Free Lance Star

As an Army Ranger injured three different times in Iraq—from gunfire, an explosive device and even a grenade blast to the face—Richard Rein tried to cope with memories from battle and the loss of his buddies.

But nothing would make the nightmares go away. He felt guilty for surviving and remorse for things he’d done, even though his actions on the Iraqi battlefield earned him three Purple Hearts as well as a Bronze Star with a combat “V” for valor.

“I didn’t know how to deal with it, I didn’t know how to ask for help,” he said. “I tried to bury it, I tried to ignore it, I tried to do everything to act like I didn’t have a problem.”

When the now 37-year-old started taking more pain medicine than doctors prescribed, along with alcohol and, later, whatever street drugs he could get his hands on, things got even worse.

The arresting officer, who charged him with two counts of possession of heroin and fentanyl, knew that those who served in the military sometimes have trouble readjusting to life outside a war zone. The officer recommended that Rein, who goes by Rick, seek help through the Rappahannock Regional Veterans Treatment Docket, an intensive program for former service members in legal trouble.

Rein did just that and graduated from the 18-month program on Thursday. The Spotsylvania County Circuit Court was filled with people who applauded his efforts, including eight other veterans in various phases of the program, former servicemembers who volunteer as mentors to the participants and even Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who was guest speaker at the event.

“Going through this program shows a level of bravery that most people sometimes can’t face,” Miyares said as he stood in the courtroom and addressed his remarks to Rein. “Sometimes we’re not wired to admit that we need help, we’re not wired to say that we could get through only with the help of others (who are) in that foxhole figuratively with us.”

Rein certainly acknowledged those who gave him the “direction and accountability” he needed—the treatment specialists, probation officers, counselors and his own mentor, Daniel Cortez, whom Rein said was available whenever he needed help, day or night. However, Rein had to toe the line and get himself to mandatory screenings and sessions—which took place almost daily in the first year—or he would face sanctions or even possible dismissal.

“It felt so good being back with military core values,” Rein said. “You guys have truly saved my life.”

Rein served with the 75th Ranger Regiment, a Fort Benning, Georgia, unit that describes itself as a “lethal, agile and flexible force, capable of conducting many complex, joint special operations missions.”

Judge Ricardo Rigual, who helped create the treatment program for veterans with Spotsylvania County deputy public defender Wendy Harris and state Sen. Bryce Reeves, reminded Rein that he’d undertaken a different kind of mission when he signed onto the veterans docket.

Rigual recalled what he told Rein the first day he saw him—that the program was designed to help him get back to the man he was and that those around him would provide guidance and coaching.

“But I want you to realize when you leave here that you’re the one who did this,” the judge said. “This wasn’t a gift bestowed upon you. You made the choice to help yourself and here you stand, the man you were before, the man you are today, the man you’ve always been.”

Rein fulfilled his obligations with such determination that “he should be the national poster veteran for our program,” Cortez said. He mentioned Rein’s work at the Oxford House in Fredericksburg, where he has led veterans and other residents trying to end their addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Ann Baker, probation program manager with Rappahannock Regional Jail, said Rein was the first one to go through the program without a single sanction.

“That is a really big deal,” she said. “He wasn’t even five minutes late to any of his meetings.”

Rein is the eighth graduate of the program that started in 2018, specifically for Spotsylvania County residents. It has expanded to serve veterans throughout the region and has worked with former service members from every locality in the region except Caroline County, Harris said.

Rein thanked his employer, Billy Kelley, also a veteran, for giving him a job and the time off that he needed to meet all the program obligations.

“The guy has really excelled,” said Kelley, who runs Tree Times in Stafford County. “It’s amazing what he’s done for himself in the short time we’ve been working together. His leadership skills are phenomenal and his work ethic’s great. Being prior military myself, I know what Rick is capable of and his go-getter skills.”

One of Rein’s three combat injuries involved being shot several times in the ankle and once in the upper right thigh, but that hasn’t kept him from physical labor. He’s a tree climber in Kelley’s company.

“It hurts some days, but I still get up,” Rein said, adding he’s not about to squander the second chance he’s been given. Plus, being high off the ground “cures that adrenalin rush that I like to feed.”

Rein also suffered serious injuries when a blast from a rocket-propelled grenade went across his face on Jan. 4, 2005. That was his third injury and the one that took him out of service. He’d resisted leaving after the first two times he was hurt because he wanted to stay with his unit.

The former Ranger didn’t go into a lot of details about the night of the grenade attack except to say it claimed the lives of his two best friends. He suffered trauma to the front of his brain and needed massive dental work to his jaw and nine plastic surgeries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

At Thursday’s court appearance, his face showed a few small scars but not the damage one might expect. Rein said skin grafts, and a goatee, helped cover the worst of it.

A more noticeable feature was a Viking braid that ran down the back of his head. His fiancée, Victoria Ratliff, braided his blondish hair for him that day. While Rein said he was “super nervous” standing in front of the court and special guests, one of the few times a smile replaced his jitters was when Cortez talked about the couple.

“It moves me every time I see them together because all I see is true love,” Cortez said.

Rein and Ratliff plan to wed in October and Cortez, a marriage commissioner, will perform the ceremony. The couple plans to live in a house they just bought in Stafford and to unite their families. Both have children from previous relationships.

“This program helped me believe I was a person worth saving and that’s the biggest lesson I learned,” Rein said. “To the others in this program, the only advice I can give you is to pour every ounce of strength and energy you have into this program and your recovery. Your future deserves it.”

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Veterans Bill Headed For the White House

From the Free Lance-Star:

“A new bill on its way to the president’s desk would give thousands of veterans a second chance after being charged with certain nonviolent crimes.

The Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019, cosponsored by 98 Democrats and 37 Republicans, directs the Department of Justice to establish a program that provides grants and technical assistance to state, local and tribal governments to develop and maintain veteran treatment courts.

Veteran treatment courts merge local judges and lawyers with law enforcement and Department of Veterans Affairs officials, veteran service organizations and other community leaders to secure the best possible outcomes for nonviolent veterans facing the legal system. The program gives veterans the opportunity to receive help and treatment instead of jail time.

Daniel Cortez, chairman of the National Vet Court Alliance, said in addition to the Rappahannock Veterans Docket, there are six other similar courts in the state. Nationwide, Cortez said there are about 700,000 veterans in some phase of the criminal justice system and there are only about 500 active veterans treatment courts available to handle the load.”

You can read the rest of the article here.

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Veterans’ Court Program Celebrates First Graduation

The Free-Lance Star did an excellent job covering the graduation of our first Veterans Court program! Here are highlights from the article.

“Judge Ricardo Rigual worked with other officials from court, law enforcement and community-service agencies to create the Rappahannock Veterans Docket after the judge started seeing an alarming number of veterans in the courtroom, starting in 2013. In many cases, the men and women hadn’t been in trouble until their mid-20s, and Rigual wondered what had caused the change.

When he looked at the defendants’ reports, he saw the problem spelled out in all caps. Many had served in Iraq or Afghanistan and come home with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or a TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury.

When their injuries led to self-medication, then addiction, then charges of domestic abuse or driving under the influence, it seemed the nation had turned its back on those who had served.

Rigual, a Marine veteran, didn’t want that to happen in his courtroom. He and Wendy Harris, Spotsylvania’s deputy public defender, and others throughout the region worked to form the program that’s called a docket because it’s not a separate court.

Those who sign a contract know they could get their charges reduced, or dismissed, if they complete 18 months of mandatory meetings, court appearances, drug screenings, counseling and treatment to overcome addiction.”

And more:

“Each veteran going through the program is assigned to a mentor. That person stands beside the veteran during court appearances and is available whenever the vet needs help.

Antitori’s mentor is Daniel Cortez, who served in Vietnam and has advocated for veterans. Even though their service was 50 years apart, the two men shared similar thoughts and experiences, Cortez said.

He served as a drill instructor in the Marines after Vietnam and said he instilled the lethal instincts the military requires. He also took lives and saw the impact of mortar shells and bullets on flesh and bone.

Many veterans struggle to deal with the “fog of war,” and some can never let it go, Cortez said. But through programs such as the Rappahannock Veterans Docket, former service members can get past the mistakes they made, he said.

On Thursday, Cortez presented the program a $10,000 check to help cover some of the court costs; the money came from a nonprofit fundraising group he heads called the National Vet Court Alliance. He wants to encourage other businesses and individuals to do the same.

“All the court members are here on their own dime and their own time,” he said. “Nobody funds this court.”

You can read the full article here.

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Daniel Cortez on Ed Henry

National Vet Court Alliance Chairman Daniel P. Cortez on Fox News with Ed Henry discussing the need for Veteran Treatment Courts/Dockets.

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Editorial: Senate, Pass the Bill

The editors of the Free-Lance Star newspaper in Fredericksburg, Virginia, published an editorial pushing for the passage of the Veterans Court bill:

“A bipartisan bill now before the U.S. Senate would provide grants and technical assistance to states like Virginia that have set up special courts that direct veterans facing certain criminal charges to court-supervised treatment programs instead of jail. Passing this bill should be a no-brainer.”

“Mindful that untreated service-related trauma is often a factor in criminal activity, veterans courts focus on the rehabilitation of former members of the military who commit certain non-violent crimes.”

Read the entire editorial here.

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Bipartisan Coalition of AGs Urge Senate to Pass Bill

In a press release issued by the National Association of Attorneys General, NAAG pushed Congress for action:

Washington, D.C. — A coalition of 44 state and territory attorneys general is urging Congress to further support Veteran Treatment Courts by passing the Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019.

In a letter to Senate leaders, the attorneys general wrote to encourage the passage of House Resolution 886 (H.R. 886), the Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019. H.R. 886 would establish a Veteran Treatment Court Program in the United States Department of Justice to provide grants and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal courts that implement Veteran Treatment Courts.

You can read the full release here.

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Support Veterans Treatment Courts

DJ Reyes, a retired Army colonel and senior mentor and program coordinator for the Veterans Treatment Court in Tampa, Fla. expressed his support for H.R.886 in this piece published in the Washington Times.

“Helping our veterans, many of whom have returned from multiple combat deployments, deal with a brush with the law due to service-related conditions, is an issue that transcends partisan politics. It demands the involvement and support of our fellow Americans. We depend on our brave men and women to answer the call to defend our freedoms. We must also be there to support them by providing the needed resources to get them well again.”

You can read the commentary here in its entirety.