In this past Sunday’s New York Times, a moving article described an Army veteran who, after returning home from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder, became involved in a confrontation with police. While experiencing a post traumatic episode, this particular veteran found himself holding and firing a pistol in the woods behind his Michigan home as law enforcement attempted to defuse the situation. After being subdued and arrested, he was charged with five counts of assault with intent to murder a police officer.
Unfortunately, this story has become all too typical for veterans with PTSD. Thankfully in the Michigan case, the judge, police officers, and prosecution worked together to create a plan for the veteran to get treatment for his PTSD through a Veterans Administration hospital and, with good behavior, have a chance for the charges to be dropped. The answer to this particular case, and to countless others like it, lies not in a lengthy prison sentence, but rather in an alternative, holistic solution.
Here in Massachusetts, Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating, now a U.S. Representative, spearheaded efforts to educate local police officers and first responders about the need to recognize signs of PTSD. At our 2010 Law Day Dinner, the BBA presented the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office with the President’s Award for Public Service for its work in developing responses to averting tragedy and serious criminal conduct.
In that same spirit, the BBA has furthered its resolve to provide for the legal needs of veterans. The Committee on Legal Services for Military Personnel, Veterans, and their Families – – with the active participation of our partners at the Volunteer Lawyers Project and Shelter Legal Services – – has continued to staff numerous Yellow Ribbon events, the most recent of which took place last Sunday.
Yellow Ribbon events occur on weekends at area conference hotels, in the months preceding troop deployment and after troops return. Using their expertise, BBA volunteers give presentations on basic legal issues that military families might potentially face, in addition to manning tables to answer specific questions. The Committee has also been active maintaining its referral network that operates as a partnership between the Legal Advocacy Resource Center and the BBA’s Lawyer Referral Service. This military referral network has been successful at connecting military families to attorneys in Greater Boston, and has served as a national model for the American Bar Association.
With only one attorney and one paralegal employed at the legal assistance office of the Massachusetts National Guard, hundreds of deployed service members and their families are at risk of not having access to legal representation. For military personnel, common legal issues relating to evictions, foreclosures, domestic violence, and employment, are magnified by lengthy deployments, multiple tours, and distance from home. The BBA is committed to stepping up and providing for the legal needs of our military families.
-Kathleen Joyce
Government Relations Director
Boston Bar Association
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