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Troubled veterans graduate local treatment court program
By Josh stipanovich
austintown
Jason Gries, 30, of Salem fought tears after he received his certificate of graduation from Youngstown’s Veterans Treatment Court program.
Gries, a 2000 Austintown Fitch graduate, gave a speech to about 100 community members, veterans and local officials Friday afternoon at Harley-Davidson Bike Town.
He had enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard after his high-school graduation. He guarded airports for nine months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and then the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., for a year.
But he wanted to do more.
So he asked to be discharged from the National Guard and became a full-time member of the Army in a combat unit.
He returned home in 2005, but his readjustment hasn’t been easy. That’s when he found himself in a situation that led to his enrollment into the Veterans Treatment Court program, overseen by Judge Robert P. Milich of Youngstown Municipal Court.
Gries violated a restraining order when he communicated with his ex-wife.
“I’ve learned that even though what I thought was morally right, there are rules, regulations and laws that we all must abide by to keep everyone safe, and I disregarded that, and it was wrong of me,” Gries said.
The program seeks to help troubled veterans get back on their feet in normal society. Once veterans pass three phases, they are celebrated and graduated.
Because Gries was able to complete the program, his record will be expunged, Judge Milich said during the ceremony.
“Judge Milich and his team [understand] that people make mistakes, and as long as you don’t keep making the same mistake and you learn from it, that’s OK because you’re human,” Gries said. “People like Judge Milich and his team, who don’t give up on people, is what the world needs.”
The graduation ceremony was a part of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals’ annual RV tour. Chris Deutsch, NADCP director of communications, said the main goal of the tour is to help educate people about treatment courts in the U.S. and to honor what participants have accomplished.
“It’s really an opportunity for programs around the country to celebrate their success and honor the people who have completed the program and build some community support,” Deutsch said.