PAW PAW, Mich. — Thursday marked a major milestone for Michael Ryan over the last five years since he left the Marine Corps Reserve.
Ryan told FOX 17 Thursday that he spent a lot of time questioning whether his time in the Marine Corps Reserve constituted service, and he answered those problems with drugs and alcohol.
But one day, he got pulled over— bringing him face to face with a judge and the West Michigan Regional Veterans’ Treatment Court.
“It was a serious decline in my mental health, and I started using, abusing a lot of different substances at that point,” Ryan explained.
Allegan County District Judge William Baillargeon presides over the treatment court, serving Allegan, Ottawa and Van Buren counties.
“The level of commitment that the counties have for working together and really providing a resource that isn’t available to a lot of veterans, I think it’s really important,” Judge Baillargeon said.
Veterans are introduced to the program through the justice system— sometimes in the back of a police car, and other times, when facing a judge.
Ryan is the 50th graduate of the program, which shows that it’s working for participants, but also, benefiting the state.
Judge Baillargeon says the cost of housing a state prisoner is about $43,000 a year.
“We’ve saved not only the state a lot of money with this, we’ve saved their life and oftentimes, have saved families,” he added.
The program has pulled people like Army veteran Michael Bone out of dark places.
“The day of my crime was [a] horrible day, but it was also the best day of my life because it changed, it changed everything. You know, once I made it through, the court taught me I didn’t know how strong I was until I had to be,” Bone explained. “The Veterans’ Court changed everything for me. Today, I fill my time with positive activities.”
“I was able to overcome my fear of saying that I served because they believe that I had served and they supported me through this whole process, and I was able to lean on them. And it’s nice being with other veterans because we kind of understand how each other operate,” Ryan added.
Now, he hopes to upgrade his discharge and reenlist in the military.
“If that doesn’t work then I am perfectly content with being self-employed and working the rest of my life without alcohol,” he said.
Click here for more information about Veterans Treatment Courts in Michigan.
