Photo: Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
From left, Army veteran Kevin Faherty speaking with Paul Connor, veteran services coordinator, and Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian in January.
A sad fact of war is that those who serve too often come back suffering from emotional trauma or addiction.
Fortunately, there are understanding people who can help them move on. We just need more of them.
Kevin Cullen at the Boston Globe describes what one Massachusetts sheriff is doing to make veterans’ lives more hopeful.
“For the past year, with hardly any attention, Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and his staff have developed an innovative approach that is transforming lives for the better, lowering recidivism rates and raising the odds that those who have served their country can become more responsible, productive citizens.
“[Jan. 13] marked the first anniversary of the Housing Unit for Military Veterans at the Middlesex jail and house of correction, the first of its kind in New England, and really the only one quite like it nationwide. Its acronym is HUMV, or Humvee, an armored vehicle that once protected many of the younger vets in the unit. …
“Koutoujian tapped Paul Connor, an Army veteran, to run the unit. They got a waiver from the state, so that pre-trial prisoners and inmates already serving their sentences could be housed together. The HUMV is set up like a barracks, bunks lined up in the self-contained unit. …
“The men in the unit are broken down into squads, sharing chores and other duties, which builds camaraderie and accountability. …
“Connor’s veteran status makes a real connection with those in the unit. His decade of sobriety, meanwhile, makes him a role model. Like the vast majority of inmates in the general population, most of the vets in the HUMV have struggled with alcohol and substance abuse. …
“Amy Bonneau, a social worker from the Boston Vets Center, runs a support group at the HUMV.
” ‘For a lot of these guys, their underlying issues can be traced back to their service,’ she said. ‘If we don’t treat what got them here, they end up coming back. What we see is the camaraderie that this unit fosters makes them more willing to take the treatment seriously. It’s more than helping themselves. They don’t want to let down their brothers.’
“Connor, still a captain in the National Guard, puts it in terms that everybody in the unit understands.
“ ‘In boot camp, they break you down,’ he said. ‘A lot of these guys come in here broken. We are building them back up.’ ”
More here.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
That’s a great idea to capitalize on their military background to help build them up in this way. You always find the best articles. 😃
I love finding these articles. And I am so grateful to people like you for letting me know when a story rings a bell.
This is one of those ideas that, when it gets presented, makes such sense! You then wonder why no one thought of it before!
I have actually read about similar approaches — in Massachusetts especially. But I believe it is true in other parts of the country that police and prosecutors and judges may feel a wish to give extra help to military people handicapped by war traumas that make them lash out and break laws. Now if we could only extend some understanding to others who might ultimately benefit society if their addictions and problem behaviors were treated with something other than prison.