MANSFIELD – In a standing-room only celebration, Mansfield Municipal Court Judges Frank Ardis Jr. and Jerry Ault presided over Veteran’s Court Graduation on Wednesday, hosted at the Mansfield FOP Lodge 32.
Wednesday’s graduates included veterans Jeffery Wirick, Mark Ogle, Wayne Blaney, John Nixon, Joe McGregor, Jerry Friend, Michael Mosier, Edwin Patton, Raymond Mullins, and Robert Hoffman. The graduates all come from different branches of the military.
Ault explained why he gave great thought to the reason why he decided to start Veteran’s Court.
“Our institutions function daily because we are protected,” Ault said.
Veteran’s Court first began in Sept. 2009, the first of its kind in Ohio and third in the nation. It was developed to reduce crime, incarceration and recidivism by linking veterans to veteran-specific services. To increase success, veterans are also linked with veteran service representatives and veteran peer mentors who will educate and assist them in obtaining benefits and support services available only to veterans.
“The court opens the door for these veterans, but they do the hard work,” Ault said. “They deserve all the congratulations.”
Ardis also noted the success of Mansfield’s Veteran’s Court, a pioneer program in Ohio that is often observed by other cities.
“We owe you a great debt and will continue to owe you a great debt,” Ardis said.
The Veteran’s Court is a voluntary Specialty Court Docket program providing intense supervision of offenders. This involves regularly scheduled review hearings with the judge, home visits, curfew checks, drug and alcohol testing and increased communication with the treatment providers.
The Veteran’s Court program requires at least one year of supervision and treatment, organized into four phases corresponding to individual development. The court has served over 169 participants thus far and has had 118 successfully complete the program.
The court welcomed Maj. Neil C. Chitwood of the Army Ranger Reserves as a guest speaker on Wednesday. Chitwood is a recipient of the Combat Operations Bronze Star and a graduate of U.S. Military Academy in West Point. He also served as a former Chief Advisor to Iraqi Ambassador Stuart E. Jones.
Furthermore, Chitwood earned a first-degree Black Belt in Judo and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and is a former Sport Jiu-Jitsu World champion. Locally, he previously served as a councilman for the city of Ontario.
“I appreciate the veterans going through this program and their continued service, commitment, and everything the armed service instilled in us,” Chitwood said.
Chitwood served in Iraq during 2005 and 2006 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He said 12 major explosions occurred close to his team, and they went through a number of traumatic experiences.
“We didn’t do it for the Iraqis at the time, we did it for each other,” Chitwood said. “The only reason I brought home everyone from my platoon is because we looked out for each other.”
Tragically, despite bringing his team back to the United States unharmed, Chitwood shared that one of his brothers in the service committed suicide in 2010. This changed something in Chitwood.
“It made me feel like I failed, and I have since taken it as a charge to reach out to my brothers constantly and let them know I love and care about them,” he said.
To that end, Chitwood acknowledged that support for veterans in the U.S. is not at the level it should be. He noted that after spending years in a highly structured environment, leaving the service can leave soldiers a bit lost.
“The military has done its best in recent years to help people transition, but it hasn’t always been that way,” Chitwood said. “These steely-eyed, flat-bellied killers come home a little bit broken, and they’re not sure how to carry on.”
One graduate of Veteran’s Court on Wednesday related deeply to this story. Joe McGregor, who served in the Vietnam War, said he felt like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs only viewed him as a number on paper.
“I wish they’d had Veteran’s Court several years ago when I came back from Vietnam,” McGregor said. “I saw some horrible things that still give me goose bumps, and over the years it really got to me.
“Veteran’s Court was the first time I realized anyone gave a darn about me.”
Maj. Chitwood stated he had not heard of Mansfield’s Veteran’s Court program before being asked to speak at graduation. But after learning about the program, he did not understate the court’s importance.
“I love this country,” Chitwood said, tears in his eyes. “Every day I’m grateful I serve our country and I’m next to people like you.”
