Incarcerated vets get second chance through re-entry program
Times Leader
By Kulsoom Khan - For Times Leader
June 17, 2018
Former Marine Gene Santore had a loving family, a thriving business and “lot of money in the bank.”
He nearly lost all of it three years ago when he got arrested for a drug deal and being involved in a robbery.
Gene Santore, 58, of Clarks Summit is a former Marine. After serving some jail time for a drug-related charge in 2015, he participated in the VA’s Veteran Just Outreach Program and Lackawanna County’s treatment court for incarcerated veterans. He now serves as a mentor for the program. - Kulsoom Khan | Times Leader
The Clarks Summit resident served in the Marine corp and in the reserves for six years. He hurt his shoulder in 1989 and had eight surgeries. Santore’s doctors gave him Percocet and Oxycontin to help him deal with the pain, which eventually turned into a serious addiction and led to heroin use later on.
“I was on a 180 milligrams a day of that and after 24 years, it just doesn’t work anymore,” he said. “You resort to the next best cheaper thing, and that’s heroin.”
After spending six months in jail, Santore began participating in the VA Medical Center’s Veteran Justice Outreach program in 2015. Veterans Affairs started the initiative in 2009 and works in collaboration with Lackawanna County Veterans Treatment Court to help incarcerated veterans and those who have been recently released from prison to transition back into society.
The program helps with assistance in finding jobs, housing and repairing damaged relationships through counseling. There are currently 105 veterans participating in the program, which can last 18 months or longer.
Social workers from the VA and probation officers from Lackawanna County also work with veterans who have issues with drug and alcohol abuse to keep them off of drugs and out of prison.
“What helped me is supervision from my probation officer to my case managers down there,” said Santore while sitting outside the VA Medical Center in Plains Township. “All these people genuinely cared to help me, which I never had happen before.”
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"A former Davidson County deputy accused of bank robbery worked security there prior to robbery" on Salisbury Post headline may begin the judgement of this man, but there is so much more to the story.
"Jeffrey Dean Athey, 51, entered the F and M Bank at 418 W. Main St. about 3:35 p.m. on Feb. 6 and showed a Glock 41 semi-automatic handgun. He requested $1,000 and then left the bank."
He is accused of robbing the bank he worked for. Think about that one. Top that off with he only wanted $1,000 and knew exactly what the penalty would be for that. Why would he choose to do it there?
After hearing of the news, Davidson County Sheriff David Grice terminated Athey the same afternoon. He’s worked for the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office for a number of years, left to work for the private military company formerly known as Blackwater, and then returned to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.
He not only joined law enforcement, he worked for a defense contractor.
Court documents show Athey was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. He recently married and lived with his wife and her two children.
Was this a scream for help? He had 2 jobs plus a new family. If this was not a man who was willing to risk his life, but change it for the better as well, it would be easy to just pass it off as a good guy gone bad. Taken everything into consideration, now we know there is so much more to this story.
Hundreds turn out for annual Ironstone Derby 5K in Andover
Eagle Tribune
By Kelsey Bode
8 hrs ago
ANDOVER — Nearly 300 runners gathered Sunday beneath a clear, blue sky to raise money and awareness during the fifth annual Ironstone Derby 5K.
“Happy Father’s Day to all the dads,” said Deedee O’Brien, executive director of Ironstone Farm. “We are really happy to be here.”
The 5K helps support programs at the farm, which serve children with disabilities, people of all ages with autism, veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, those diagnosed with cancer, and teen development programs, O’Brien said.
“We really appreciate everybody turning out this year for Ironstone,” said Neil Fater, the farm’s marketing director.
Fater pointed to a farmhouse being renovated to house veterans for weekend programs.
“People coming here for retreats can stay here,” Fater said of the farmhouse. “For veterans, having an immersive experience is really powerful. We appreciate people coming out to support kids and veterans. There are lots of great fathers here.”
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Tragic ‘suicides’ of two heroes who fought side by side in Iraq before succumbing to the strain of PTSD
Daily Mail
By ANDREW YOUNG FOR MAIL ON SUNDAY
16 June 2018
Soldier Kevin Williams and John Paul Finnigan both took their own lives
They both struggled to recover from the trauma of war after serving in Iraq
At least 12 veterans have killed themselves so far this year – one every 13 days
Going out on patrol night after night, soldiers Kevin Williams and John Paul Finnigan became brothers in arms, always looking out for each other amid the horrors of combat in Iraq.
But after leaving the British Army, they both struggled to recover from the traumas of war.
In March this year, Kevin took his own life at the age of 29.
John Paul, already tormented by the suicides of seven other soldiers he knew, was devastated.
Three weeks ago, the 34-year-old father-of-three was found hanging in the garden of his home.
‘He told me there were eight former soldiers who had taken their lives within eight months. The last one was Kevin. It started to eat away at him.’
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Having read that, reading how John Paul was "tormented" by the others who committed suicide, then took his own life, is what all this "awareness" has accomplished.
This is not just hitting veterans here in the US, it is hitting all of men and women risking their lives to save others.
None of this is new but when you consider that there were better results before all this "awareness" shit started, that should be a clue right there, the people doing it, do not have a clue they are doing more harm than good.
So, lets talk about the ones who do not count in the number being quoted because it is an easy number to remember!
Did not get "honorable discharge" not counted.
Lived outside the US after service for the US, not counted.
Lived in states where they do not have military service on death certificates, not counted. (California and Illinois passed legalization last year to have it added.)
Homeless veterans...not counted.
Drug deaths and accidents, not counted because they do not know for sure.
The really repulsive part of all of this is they say the VA said it was 22 a day. The truth is the VA said that was the average of limited data from just 21 states! So, no, the number did not come from the VA. It came from reporters too lazy to read it and people who just went blindly into all of this that has led to exactly what has happened all too many times.
"John Paul, already tormented by the suicides of seven other soldiers he knew, was devastated. Three weeks ago, the 34-year-old father-of-three was found hanging in the garden of his home."
They were too busy spreading the heartache to spend any time spreading hope that any day could be better than the next.
Marine apparently shoots himself by accident at Washington guard post
FOX NEWS
By Greg Norman
June 8, 2018
A Marine apparently shot himself by accident Friday inside a guard post at the Marine Corps barracks in Washington, D.C., officials say.
A Marine apparently shot himself Friday at the Marine Corps Barracks and Commandant's House in Washington, D.C. (Google Maps)
One official with the Marines told Fox News that “early indications are this was a negligent discharge.”
Another said the Marine suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, while Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Colleen McFadden described the wound as "self-inflicted."
The Marine is now in “stable condition with a non-life threatening injury,” she added.
read more here
