Veterans coalition and treatment court to mark 10 years May 26

Memorial Day honors military personnel who have died in the performance of their duties while serving in the United States armed forces. Remembrance also encourages actions that benefit the living.

Two veteran service organizations will come together at noon, Wednesday, May 26, at the Old State House on The Green. It will mark the 10th anniversary of the Delaware Veterans Coalition and of the Delaware Veterans Treatment Court. 

The event will be held on the steps of the building and allow members of the coalition, the Commission of Veterans Affairs, and military veterans of the judiciary and veterans affairs committees to participate without masks, assuming all have been vaccinated, while other elected officials and court-affiliated volunteers may observe from The Green.

The Hon. William L. Witham Jr., JD, resident judge of Kent County and a resident judge of the Superior Court of Delaware, will address the audience, according to Dave Skocik, president of the Delaware Veterans Coalition.

Witham, who will retire this month, served in the Delaware National Guard and the reserves for 33 years in numerous command and staff positions, including deputy commander of the Delaware Army National Guard.

The Veterans Treatment Court began in February 2011 as the first statewide program and the first to have a diversion and probation track.

The Veterans Treatment Court, courts.delaware.gov/superior, mission is to divert veterans who meet strict requirements from the traditional criminal justice system and provide them with the tools to lead a productive and law-abiding life. Studies show that such collaborative courts enhance public safety, cut recidivism and are more cost effective than the typical manner of processing offenders.

The Delaware Veterans Coalition, DelawareVeteransCoalition.com, established in May 2011, was co-founded by Vietnam veterans Dave Skocik and Paul Davis as an additional voice for the state’s veterans of all generations. In 2013 it was instrumental in the establishment of the Delaware Veterans Trust Fund under the auspices of the Commission of Veterans Affairs. 

The fund provides one-time, hand-up grants to honorably discharged veterans in financial emergency. 

The coalition and the Veterans Court and its attorneys, all military veterans, serve as volunteers.