I just got back to my cell after returning from this evening's weekly Veterans meeting...
Every Friday from 6 to 8:45 the men who once served in America's military can gather together in a designated classroom to meet for overall support. There are about ten former veterans presently confined here at Shawangunk.
About five of us come regularly. We open our meetings by saying the traditional Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, after unfurling it and hanging it on the wall in front of the room. Which is then followed by a brief prayer for our nation.
Every correctional facility in New York State has a veteran’s organization. Nowadays, the groups who gather are smaller in number than in the past. During the Vietnam era and the later conflicts in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, our overall numbers were higher. Back in the 1980s and 90s, and into the mid 2000s, it was not unusual to average about 20 to 25 men in attendance in the facility I was housed in at that time. But now our numbers are much less.
Unfortunately, some of those like myself who once served in our military ended up in prison. Sometimes it's the result of difficulty in transitioning back to civilian life, or it's an addiction problem involving drugs and alcohol which an individual picked up while he was in the service. It could also be one's inability to find good employment, a mental health issue of some kind, or the result of the usual downturns one encounters in life.
Either way, some of our nation's veterans, most of whom have been honorably discharged, have made our way in the America's prison system. So having a veteran’s organization in every correctional facility is beneficial. It provides us with a means to meet together and socialize. And whenever possible, to uplift one another by providing emotional support.
In addition, the Veterans Administration recognizes these groups and, although limited by various restrictions placed upon both them and us by prison officials, does offer help to the vets. We have periodic visits by people from the Veterans Administration whom we could reach out to for assistance.
So for me and my fellow veterans, we have each other to lean on. Fridays are our time to hang out and socialize, and to keep an eye on one another as we journey through incarceration.
D.B.
About five of us come regularly. We open our meetings by saying the traditional Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, after unfurling it and hanging it on the wall in front of the room. Which is then followed by a brief prayer for our nation.
Every correctional facility in New York State has a veteran’s organization. Nowadays, the groups who gather are smaller in number than in the past. During the Vietnam era and the later conflicts in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, our overall numbers were higher. Back in the 1980s and 90s, and into the mid 2000s, it was not unusual to average about 20 to 25 men in attendance in the facility I was housed in at that time. But now our numbers are much less.
Unfortunately, some of those like myself who once served in our military ended up in prison. Sometimes it's the result of difficulty in transitioning back to civilian life, or it's an addiction problem involving drugs and alcohol which an individual picked up while he was in the service. It could also be one's inability to find good employment, a mental health issue of some kind, or the result of the usual downturns one encounters in life.
Either way, some of our nation's veterans, most of whom have been honorably discharged, have made our way in the America's prison system. So having a veteran’s organization in every correctional facility is beneficial. It provides us with a means to meet together and socialize. And whenever possible, to uplift one another by providing emotional support.
In addition, the Veterans Administration recognizes these groups and, although limited by various restrictions placed upon both them and us by prison officials, does offer help to the vets. We have periodic visits by people from the Veterans Administration whom we could reach out to for assistance.
So for me and my fellow veterans, we have each other to lean on. Fridays are our time to hang out and socialize, and to keep an eye on one another as we journey through incarceration.
D.B.
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