- October 14, 2024
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Every time a veteran graduates from the 7th Judicial Circuit Veterans Court, he or she receives a challenge coin.
Local Vietnam veteran Arlow Triplett, a mentor of the Veterans Court, can't remember how many coins he's seen awarded, but there's been a lot. He wouldn't dare to put a number on it — but he does know the program has an 85% no return rate, meaning the majority of veterans that do graduate from the initiative don't commit future crimes.
He wishes something like Veterans Court had been available when he transitioned back to civilian life after serving in the Air Force from 1966 to 1969.
"PTSD wasn't talked about then," Triplett said. "It was 'shell shock.' A lot of kids came back, me as one, you know — it's hard to come back to a society that didn't appreciate you."
It's different today, he said. People appreciate veterans and Veterans Court is one way of giving back.
The Veterans Court system in Volusia County was launched in late 2013. Four years later, it was dedicated at the "Judge David B. Beck Veterans Court" to honor the late judge, an Army veteran, who founded the court. He retired a year after founding the court in 2014. Judge Bryan Feigenbaum presides the court for the east side of the county in Daytona Beach; Judge Robert Sanders presides over the court for the west side of the county in DeLand.
Triplett is a mentor in both.
He first got involved with Veterans Court through the local veterans organization chapter of Team Red White and Blue in 2014. The Veterans Court initiative is meant to address the specialized needs of former service members who have committed misdemeanors or certain felonies, and, may be dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and mental health issues.
To qualify for Veterans Court, the person must have also been honorably discharged from the military. Most cases involve domestic violence, DUIs or drug charges, and the veterans often enter into plea agreements. The program is sponsored through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the model additionally links veterans to counseling and services to help with mental health and medical treatments, as well as has the ability to assist with housing and other daily needs. The veterans are also able to pay back court fines through community service hours.
The mentors, who help them navigate the program, are all veterans themselves.
"A veteran talking to a veteran, it means a lot," Triplett said.
Triplett and two other veteran mentors, Vince Faulkner and the late Marty Wilson, the latter of whom has since died, launched the "Giving Beck" fund in honor of Beck. Recently, the Sons of the American Legion Post 267 in Ormond Beach donated $500 for the fund, which benefits the veterans participating in Veterans Court. The funds help with providing bus passes, necessary supplies, food and the challenge coins.
The challenge coins he's seen placed in veterans hands time and time again.
Triplett remembered a past graduate of Veterans Court, who later died of COVID-19. He recalled how the veteran turned around at the front of the court after going before the judge, and pointed at Triplett.
"He said, 'That man saved my life," Triplett recalled. "That's why I probably keep doing what I'm doing."
