DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – Each year, hundreds of thousands of veterans make the transition back to civilian life.
Studies show that about one-third of veterans report a history of arrest.
Army Veteran Troy Blackstone is one of them.
“I was looking at either five years in prison or I was gonna be six feet under,” Blackstone said.
Blackstone served in the U.S. Army from 2007 to 2011. His role was to protect his unit’s chaplain.
“The chaplain was my mission,” he said. “The only thing I had to worry about was ensuring her safety. It was an honor and privilege to be able to do that.”
But his return home wasn’t easy.
Blackstone said flipping that switch from combat to civilian life was made possible through his consumption of alcohol.
“I couldn’t get up without thinking about some of the things that I’ve done and alcohol just kind of numb the pain away,” he said.
That is until the alcohol came to add to that pain.
Blackstone said he was 36 beers in on July 1, 2022, when he got the wake up call.
“I’m pretty sure the day that I got the DUI was on a one-way mission to end my life,” he said.
Out of the drunken haze, Blackstone stared down a disturbing fate.
His wife Yasmine had taken out restraining orders for both herself and the rest of the family— it was possible he would never see them again.
“It was either you’re gonna figure it out or you’re gonna live a life of misery,” he said.
Staring down a lonely road, Blackstone turned to the Veterans Treatment Court, a program within the Duval County court system to help veterans with substance abuse and mental health treatment.
It’s an extensive process with weekly meetings and one-on-one mentors.
The goal is to stay sober and out of legal trouble.
“And you wanna talk about the most miserable withdrawal it was miserable,” Blackstone said, “But at the end of the day I looked back and it was the best decision I ever made.”
It’s a process he said required him to make changes. He said he got a new job, new friends and a new trust in people he didn’t know. After a year of in the VTC, he graduated.
“The most electrifying day of my life,” he said reflecting on that day.
With his family back by his side, Blackstone said he got back what he had lost overseas. He said the program allowed him to reclaim the life he always wanted to have.
“My kids,” he said. “Seeing my daughter‘s face, seeing that smile on her face, knowing that I was making her proud. All I had seen for the past three to four years was just pain, misery, suffering, and death and killing so this program gave me the one thing I need which is peace and ultimately it saved my life there’s no better way to say it. It saved my life.”
And Blackstone knows he isn’t alone which is why he going back into the courtroom.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to give back to the people that help me,” he said. “I can help my brothers and sisters get through the same trials and tribulations that I went through.”
Blackstone is now a mentor in the VTC program, helping others write the next chapters of their lives.
If you or a veteran you know need some help from the VTC, you can visit this website.