A 29-year-old former Army gunner who turned to drugs to deal with memories of a tour in Iraq and a 70-year-old Vietnam veteran in trouble with the law for the first time are among just a few of those helped in the past year by the SEMO Veterans Treatment Court.
The creation of this program in 2011 marked the nation's first rural, multijurisdictional veterans court.
It remains Missouri's largest veterans court district today.
The program offers former members of the military from 23 Missouri counties a chance to leave the path to prison for a road to a better life.
Participants are on probation for a felony conviction and receive an intense 15 to 18-month supervised treatment plan.
Most of the veterans are dealing with substance abuse dependence, behavioral health needs or a combination of the two.
The goal is to make sure those who have sacrificed to protect this country's freedoms receive the support they need to have a better life, organizers said when it was created.
Methamphetamine once protected Natasha Knight from sleep, and nightmares of her deployment.
The Poplar Bluff, Mo., resident became the first female graduate of the program in July 2017.
Before entering veterans court, Knight reached a point where she no longer cared if she lived or died.
"I still have nightmares about the amount of drugs that I did right before that," Knight, 29, said at her graduation. "I'm fortunate I never overdosed, but I didn't care if I did or not. I realized something needed to happen if I didn't care about my own life."
Death or prison are the alternatives many participants have said they faced before joining this program. Many have also already tried other treatment options, without success.
Most programs can't spend up to 18 months with someone, drug court commissioner Phillip Britt said when the program was created.
"What makes this work I think, is accountability. The follow up we provide is what really makes the difference, what really changes people in the long run," he said at the time.
Participants are required to meet regularly with Britt, representatives of John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, Probation and Parole and other agencies as they complete steps the team hopes will lead to a sober and productive life.
The way those team members provide support, including Britt's positive outlook, are some of what helped 70-year-old Michael Whitehead find success. Whitehead is one of the most recent graduates, finishing the program in January.
"He was always upbeat and he made you upbeat. I always left here feeling better," said Whitehead, who faced charges related to possession of a controlled substance.
His first trip to jail made Whitehead determined never to repeat the experience.
"I had so many people reach out to me here," he said with praise for the team members that work with veterans.
Before congratulating Whitehead in January, Britt told the Malden, Mo., resident he understood there had been challenges during the program.
"You just had lots of things happen to you while you were here, but what you didn't do was run back to substance abuse. You were able to maintain your support and recovery throughout," Britt said before offering the words echoed to many graduates in the past seven years, "I'm really proud of you."
The veterans court program is made stronger by the cooperation and involvement of multiple agencies and jurisdictions as it crosses judicial circuit and Probation and Parole boundaries not normally crossed, organizers believe.
"These guys are here because of the openness of the program and the courts in Southeast Missouri," VA and Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist Gary Helle said on the program's one year anniversary.
Veterans also receive classes on subjects such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition Knight did not recognize as the root of some of her problems, anger management, relapse prevention, being truthful and how to repair relationships.
Team members help veterans get jobs, find homes and go back to school, if they wish.
"To get turned around, they need to find success by doing the things that keep us honest," Helle has said.
SEMO Veterans Treatment Court served six individuals from six counties when it started.
By the end of the first year, it was helping up to 17 veterans from 10 counties.
There are currently 22 veterans enrolled in the court today, and they can come from any of the Missouri counties served by John J. Pershing VA Medical Center.
The drug court team includes, Britt, Helle, treatment court administrator Deborah Swinford-Kimes, probation officer Russ Fields and treatment court tracker Dennis Lyons.