Author Description

How is it possible for a hero to end up in jail or prison? Simply put, that hero makes some bad choices. For almost nine years, I went into the King County Jail system to try to help veterans who were in jail. I worked for the State of Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, assigned to the King County Veterans Program's VIP - Veterans Incarcerated Project. FROM HERO TO INMATE, The Destructive Path Some Veterans Choose presents actual, but anonymous, case histories to demonstrate the bad choices some veterans make, and what I did to try to help them get on to a better life outcome. FROM HERO TO INMATE, The Destructive Path Some Veterans Choose also uses case histories of what some veterans did to reach a good outcome. Many veterans unknowingly have mental health issues, including Depression and PTSD, that effect their behavior. Often, those issues lead to alcohol and drug problems, as the veteran tries to self medicate in an attempt to feel good or feel better. FROM HERO TO INMATE, The Destructive Path Some Veterans Choose lists many resources for veterans to get some help, if they want to get help. My goal is to try to reach out and help veterans and service providers who work with veterans. By using actual case histories, and resources for help, many veterans and service providers might benefit.