Gurnee vet finds new cause in retirement
Nearing retirement after 43 years as a printer, Gurnee resident Larry Carrier was considering options when his daughter, a probation officer, told him about an innovative new program.
Lake County's Veterans Treatment & Assistance Court was getting off the ground and needed veterans to serve as mentors. Carrier, who was drafted into the Army in 1969 and spent 14 months in Vietnam, saw an opportunity.
"I wanted to give back - do something for the community (and) do something for veterans," he said.
That was 2011 and Lake County was the third in Illinois to establish the special court program. Carrier is one of two mentors who have been involved since its inception and serves as co-coordinator.
By focusing on underlying problems, the two-year program helps veterans who become involved in the criminal justice and offers alternatives to certain types of crimes.
"They put a lot more demands on them but the biggest advantage is they'll have their case reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor or, depending on the case, it could even be dismissed," Carrier said.
He has mentored about 20 participants altogether and keeps in touch with several of them, including Greg Parker.
Like Carrier, Parker is an Army vet who served in an artillery unit in Vietnam. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 1982 and said he was withdrawn and had difficulty associating or talking with nonveterans.
Several years ago, Parker was referred and accepted to veterans court after being charged with a fourth DUI.
Carrier took a personal interest and Parker said he didn't feel like just another case.
Parker, who lives in Round Lake Beach, says Carrier went out of his way to make sure he had a successful program and that he has turned his life around as a result.
"They're interested in you achieving a better life than what you had. It's not like they penalize you for this one thing," he added.
Carrier modestly says he is "just one spike of the wheel" and all involved deserve recognition.
It may be a collaborative effort, but mentors play a key role, said Roxann Garza Tershel, an Army combat veteran and the program's co-coordinator.
"They are an integral and essential component to success," she said. "It is the mission of the mentoring program to help the veterans navigate through the court process, the (Veterans Affairs) system and community readjustment."
Mentors are matched with participants by service and other factors.
"We'll go out for coffee, lunch, breakfast, whatever, and get acquainted," Carrier said. "A lot of these veterans, it's the first time they've been in trouble with the law and they don't know what to expect."
Each individual and circumstance is different, Carrier said. The goal is weekly contact and face-to-face meetings at least once a month. During court appearances, mentors stand next to veterans for support.
Mentors are present twice a year at an invitation-only graduation ceremony and present grads with a "challenge coin" that has branches of the service on one side and the motto, "Leave no Veteran behind, not in the field or back at home," on the other.
"I think that's the best part of the program - the graduation," Carrier said. "Especially when you see a veteran come in and you have an opportunity to turn their life around. It's very rewarding," he added.
There currently are eight male and three female mentors and the program always is looking for more, Carrier said. Visit the Lake County Veterans Treatment & Assistance Facebook page.