SUNBURY - Lady Justice is often depicted with a blindfold, signifying that she favors no man.
However, said Northumberland County Historian John Deppen, "Justice must never be blind when it comes the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform."
Deppen was the special guest speaker Tuesday morning during the Veterans Court launch ceremony in courtroom 1 of the Northumberland County Courthouse. The county becomes the ninth county in the state to implement a court specifically for veterans.
Deppen described that many veterans are victims of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury, which often leads to alcohol abuse, erratic behavior and eventual involvement with the criminal justice system.
A court might be able to intervene and provide the support system and recovery for a veteran where he or she would otherwise not be able to have, he said.
"It is important and vital that we provide as much support and treatment as we can to our veterans who suffer from these," he said.
He compared PTSD and traumatic brain injury to improvised explosive devices (IED), saying they can cripple some in combat while leaving other unscathed, can be hard to identify until it explodes and can often look like something else entirely.
The program will match a veteran with a trained volunteer mentor, and the veteran will be required to utilize the treatment services of the Veteran's Administration along with the assistance of the county's office of veterans affairs, adult probation, drug and alcohol and mental health departments.
Deppen quoted Abraham Lincoln in the 16th president's second inaugural address in 1865, saying, "'With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.'"
"Our veterans treatment court is an important step forward to keeping a promise made by Abraham Lincoln," he said.
Northumberland County President Judge Robert B. Sacavage and Judge Charles H. Saylor started developing the plan for the new court system in April 2010. It required the time and talents of many individuals.
Northumberland County is the smallest county to implement such a court system, but despite the size, Saylor said, "We will be a model and set the standard for veterans who suffer."
The motivation is to leave no veteran behind, Saylor said.
Walt Summers, former commander of the Mount Carmel VFW, said the new program is a good thing.
"I encourage something like this to give some of these guys a break. They need support," the Marine Corps veteran said by phone Tuesday afternoon.
He noted that not all veterans suffering from ailments can control themselves.
"It's not always their fault that they get in trouble. A lot of them have gone through it (war), and it's tough stuff. Not everyone rehabs well," he said.
The Veterans Treatment Court Team will consist of Saylor, Sacavage, Noel Jones, treatment court coordinator; Michael Balducci, mentor coordinator; Kimberly Sapolis, veteran outreach coordinator; Jessica Lynn Harlow, law clerk for Saylor; Melissa Norton, assistant district attorney; Miachel Toomey, assistant district attorney; Paige Rosini, defense counsel; Kevin O'Hearn, deputy court administrator; Michael Barvitskie, Adult Probation Treatment Court supervisor; Marc Weir, Adult Probation Veterans Court officer; Brian Updegrove, Adult Probation DUI Court officer; Tara Snyder, adult probation officer; Belinda Albright, Northumberland County Veteran Affairs director; Rob Thomas, drug and alcohol treatment officer; Glenda Bonetti, director of drug and alcohol; Carmine Picarelli, director of mental health; Jen Berkoski, DUI Program coordinator; George Weller Gaudenzia, treatment provider; Deppen, CSIU; and Eric Hill, Geisinger Reaching Rural Veterans Initiative.