thedrifter
01-21-07, 07:23 AM
DA effort to help veterans cope upon return
Concern is crime tied to war stress
By Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff | January 21, 2007
Concerned that war-related stresses on returning soldiers and Marines might result in crime, family problems, and difficulties at school for their children, the Norfolk district attorney's office has launched an aggressive effort to identify and help veterans struggling with mental disorders.
The initiative is designed to encourage public employees such as police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians throughout the county to identify recent veterans among the people they encounter, and to use this information to steer them to therapy and other services if needed.
Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating said getting help for a veteran with mental disorders after a domestic argument, a traffic accident, or a minor disturbance could help prevent worse, future crimes.
According to a 2004 study by the New England Journal of Medicine, 17 percent of veterans returning from combat in Iraq showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. That percentage is expected to rise significantly because symptoms often take months to develop.
"It's coming, we know it's coming, and the question is, are we going to be prepared ," Keating said.
To help prepare, Keating has distributed 600 DVDs, including copies to every police department in the county, that describe the characteristics and potential consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder. The intent is to educate police, firefighters, and emergency workers, as well as court officials, social workers, and school staff, about how the condition affects veterans suddenly transplanted from a war zone to their homes in the United States.
Simply asking whether a person is a veteran is important, Keating said. And once veterans and their families are flagged, the hope is they would be directed to municipal and state social services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or other available resources.
"This is not a get-out-of-jail-free card," said Kevin Bowe, executive director of the district attorney's Anti-Crime Council. "We're trying to prevent the second, third, or fourth incident and prevent a tragedy from happening."
Keating said the state probation department has sent the DVD to every courthouse in Massachusetts. Last week, school officials attended a workshop at Keating's office in Canton about the potentially far-reaching effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on the children of veterans.
That discussion prompted Li Stowe, a counselor at the Prescott School in Norwood, to ask her principal whether they should consider an informal survey to determine how many children have parents in the war.
"It helped me think about what kinds of behaviors we may be seeing and how it may be related," said Stowe.
In one example, Stowe said, a Prescott pupil has a recurring image in which a knock on the door is followed by the devastating news that the student's parent has been killed in the war.
"They'll tell you they're worried all the time," Stowe said. "They are very frightened."
According to Cambridge psychologist Jaine L. Darwin, who led the discussion for the school workers, the children of parents affected by post-traumatic stress disorder can become angry, withdrawn, depressed, and show somatic symptoms such as stomach aches or head aches.
"We're looking at teachers as first responders," said Darwin, who co-founded a volunteer network of licensed therapists called SOFAR, or Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists.
The need is immediate and wide, Darwin said.
"This is tremendously stressful on families," she said. "It's not just the soldiers who serve. It's the families who serve."
Steve Robinson, a director at Veterans for America, a Washington-based advocacy group, said he is promoting Keating's effort as a powerful model that is the first of its kind among district attorneys' offices.
"These veterans are coming from a very horrific war zone, and they handle problems differently from the average person," said Robinson, who served 20 years in the Army, including time as a hostage negotiator and interrogator.
Robinson cited the recent fatal shooting by Maryland police of an Army reservist as an example of how authorities should use different tactics for Iraq veterans.
Despondent about orders to serve in Iraq after having spent 18 months in Afghanistan, James E. Dean barricaded himself in his father's house on Christmas and threatened to kill himself.
Dean, 29, was shot when he aimed a gun at an officer, authorities said. "There were no vets to talk to him," Robinson said. If police had arranged for Dean to talk to one of his Army buddies, the result might have been different."
In a Massachusetts episode that involved a veteran, a Lawrence man named Marine of the Year in 2005 had his gun permit revoked after he fired a shotgun from his home toward a rowdy crowd on Aug. 13, 2005.
Two people were injured slightly by Dan Cotnoir, who said he had called police to disperse the gathering.
Cotnoir, who told the Globe last year that the war had affected him emotionally, was acquitted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The need to help Iraq veterans "was pretty easy to identify," said Keating, whose father was veterans agent for the town of Sharon. "And we had this niche where we could do something."
Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at b_macquarrie@globe.com.
Ellie
Concern is crime tied to war stress
By Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff | January 21, 2007
Concerned that war-related stresses on returning soldiers and Marines might result in crime, family problems, and difficulties at school for their children, the Norfolk district attorney's office has launched an aggressive effort to identify and help veterans struggling with mental disorders.
The initiative is designed to encourage public employees such as police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians throughout the county to identify recent veterans among the people they encounter, and to use this information to steer them to therapy and other services if needed.
Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating said getting help for a veteran with mental disorders after a domestic argument, a traffic accident, or a minor disturbance could help prevent worse, future crimes.
According to a 2004 study by the New England Journal of Medicine, 17 percent of veterans returning from combat in Iraq showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. That percentage is expected to rise significantly because symptoms often take months to develop.
"It's coming, we know it's coming, and the question is, are we going to be prepared ," Keating said.
To help prepare, Keating has distributed 600 DVDs, including copies to every police department in the county, that describe the characteristics and potential consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder. The intent is to educate police, firefighters, and emergency workers, as well as court officials, social workers, and school staff, about how the condition affects veterans suddenly transplanted from a war zone to their homes in the United States.
Simply asking whether a person is a veteran is important, Keating said. And once veterans and their families are flagged, the hope is they would be directed to municipal and state social services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or other available resources.
"This is not a get-out-of-jail-free card," said Kevin Bowe, executive director of the district attorney's Anti-Crime Council. "We're trying to prevent the second, third, or fourth incident and prevent a tragedy from happening."
Keating said the state probation department has sent the DVD to every courthouse in Massachusetts. Last week, school officials attended a workshop at Keating's office in Canton about the potentially far-reaching effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on the children of veterans.
That discussion prompted Li Stowe, a counselor at the Prescott School in Norwood, to ask her principal whether they should consider an informal survey to determine how many children have parents in the war.
"It helped me think about what kinds of behaviors we may be seeing and how it may be related," said Stowe.
In one example, Stowe said, a Prescott pupil has a recurring image in which a knock on the door is followed by the devastating news that the student's parent has been killed in the war.
"They'll tell you they're worried all the time," Stowe said. "They are very frightened."
According to Cambridge psychologist Jaine L. Darwin, who led the discussion for the school workers, the children of parents affected by post-traumatic stress disorder can become angry, withdrawn, depressed, and show somatic symptoms such as stomach aches or head aches.
"We're looking at teachers as first responders," said Darwin, who co-founded a volunteer network of licensed therapists called SOFAR, or Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists.
The need is immediate and wide, Darwin said.
"This is tremendously stressful on families," she said. "It's not just the soldiers who serve. It's the families who serve."
Steve Robinson, a director at Veterans for America, a Washington-based advocacy group, said he is promoting Keating's effort as a powerful model that is the first of its kind among district attorneys' offices.
"These veterans are coming from a very horrific war zone, and they handle problems differently from the average person," said Robinson, who served 20 years in the Army, including time as a hostage negotiator and interrogator.
Robinson cited the recent fatal shooting by Maryland police of an Army reservist as an example of how authorities should use different tactics for Iraq veterans.
Despondent about orders to serve in Iraq after having spent 18 months in Afghanistan, James E. Dean barricaded himself in his father's house on Christmas and threatened to kill himself.
Dean, 29, was shot when he aimed a gun at an officer, authorities said. "There were no vets to talk to him," Robinson said. If police had arranged for Dean to talk to one of his Army buddies, the result might have been different."
In a Massachusetts episode that involved a veteran, a Lawrence man named Marine of the Year in 2005 had his gun permit revoked after he fired a shotgun from his home toward a rowdy crowd on Aug. 13, 2005.
Two people were injured slightly by Dan Cotnoir, who said he had called police to disperse the gathering.
Cotnoir, who told the Globe last year that the war had affected him emotionally, was acquitted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The need to help Iraq veterans "was pretty easy to identify," said Keating, whose father was veterans agent for the town of Sharon. "And we had this niche where we could do something."
Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at b_macquarrie@globe.com.
Ellie