APRIL SAUL / Staff Photographer
"It's good to know someone is on your side," veteran Vince Caliguire says. With him at his pizza shop in Brigantine, N.J., are his wife, Chrissy, and daughters Kady, 6 months, and Maria, 21 months.
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Veterans Assistance Project offers aid in N.J.
Outside Ramadi, Iraq, Army First Lt. Vince Caliguire and his platoon were tipped off to an attack and were ready and waiting that October morning in 2006.
In the adrenline-pumping battle that followed, 90 insurgents died. But not one of the 30-member Pennsylvania National Guard unit was lost.
Since then, Caliguire, of Brigantine, Atlantic County, has experienced disturbing flashbacks from his year of combat, which left him with a concussion and memory loss.
During one of those episodes, Caliguire, 36, said, he ran an Atlantic City traffic light in June and was stopped by police.
The veteran told officers about his flashbacks. He had had only a single beer, he said. Heated words were exchanged, and before the incident was over, Caliguire - who was taking medication for stress - was charged with driving under the influence.
That's when the Veterans Assistance Project stepped in.
The new program, which helps veterans in the criminal-justice system and recently expanded to Burlington County, sent a letter to the judge in Caliguire's case.
An assistance officer told the court of the veteran's Bronze Star Medal "for exceptionally meritorious conduct" and offered Caliguire counseling when it was most needed.
His license was temporarily suspended, Caliguire said, but he deeply appreciated the help of his mentor, who also led him to the state's Yellow Ribbon Grant Program for money to start his Brigantine shop, called Pizza Inc.
"It's definitely left me with a positive feeling," he said. "It's good to know someone is on your side."
More than 80 service members have been referred to the Veterans Assistance Project by the courts in Atlantic County. At least 40 others have received services in Union County. Burlington County and Cape May County launched their projects in August, and courts have referred several veterans.
Many of the service members have entered the criminal-justice system because of drug- and alcohol-related offenses, divorces, domestic violence, or assaults.
Former and current military members are identified and usually assigned mentors from the Army Guard or Air Guard who ensure that vets receive access to mental-health providers, drug and alcohol counselors, and benefits specialists. Their efforts are to resolve the underlying problems that led to the legal troubles.
The program is operated by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the judiciary, and the state Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health Services.
The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs so far has no similar program, agency spokeswoman Joan Nissley said yesterday.
"The expansion of the Veterans Assistance Project into Burlington County is especially significant because the county is the home to Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base, two of our nation's most important military installations," New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said.
The program provides a "secondary net" for those who may have missed benefits offered at the military bases and the Department of Veterans Affairs, said Superior Court Judge John L. Call, presiding judge of the family division and a decorated Army veteran of the Vietnam War.
"We want to give our returning heroes every advantage and everything they're entitled to," Call said. "Their country owes them.
"The counselors can identify with the unique problems a combat veteran faces," said Call, who has referred two vets to the project for counseling. "Combat is very traumatic, particularly for young people. We take them from high school and college and throw them into situations where they make life-and-death decisions and experience horror beyond imagination."
Chris Wambach, a veterans assistance officer who helped Caliguire in Atlantic County, wasn't sure how effective the program would be when it started there in January.
"It's turned out to be a great thing," said Wambach, a Navy veteran. "We don't act in any legal capacity, don't go to court, and don't have legal standing.
"We let the veterans know the benefits that are available to them and tell the court - in narrative form - about the veteran's record, his attitude, and whether he taking advantage of the benefits."
The program helped Caliguire when he needed it. "I never thought I was one of those guys who needs to talk," he said. "But I talked to Chris [Wambach]. When there are problems, he's there."
The Army's narrative accompanying Caliguire's Bronze Star Medal said that he "always led from the front" and that his actions at the Ramadi battle in October 2006 were "in keeping with the finest traditions of military service."
"After fighting for my country," Caliguire said, "it's good to know someone is there to help us."
Contact staff writer Edward Colimore at 856-779-3833 or ecolimore@phillynews.com.
