Fresh starts for formerly incarcerated veterans

The military gave me much more than a good job out of high school. It gave me a purpose, self-determination skills, and lasting personal connections that have shaped my career and life. So much of what is good in my life I owe to my time in the U.S. military. However, not every veteran’s transition goes as smoothly as mine. 

As a veteran who now serves at the Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service, I am fortunate to interact with truly inspiring individuals. Two people I met recently are fellow veterans, Markus Jolly and George Nolan. Although they appreciated their time in the service, both of them struggled to adapt to civilian life. Substance use and mental health challenges plus some bad choices led each to multiple incarcerations. Both men were served by VETS’ Incarcerated Veteran Transition Program, which assists veterans who have been incarcerated with employment training and preparedness. The program provides employment guidance and resources to help veterans build their job skills even before they leave prison. Their stories demonstrate our commitment to never giving up on our veterans. 

Markus Jolly admits he was not a very disciplined child. By his teens he was using substances and getting into legal trouble. Yet when he was sent to military school, he thrived and earned his GED.  He also excelled at basic training upon joining the U.S. Navy. For his first deployment, he was assigned to a ship that was in dry dock, a situation that provided too little structure for him. His substance use not only returned but worsened and led to his departure from the Navy after two years of service. 

What followed were a string of felonies and increasingly longer prison sentences. It was during his third and final prison stint that Jolly realized he needed to change. 

Avoiding “yard life” and hunkering down in the prison library, he spent his time participating in every educational opportunity he could find and counseling other inmates. He earned multiple degrees, including an associate’s in applied science in substance use disorders and addictions, a bachelor’s in sociology with an emphasis on criminology, a master’s in business administration, and a paralegal diploma. Jolly also benefited from the Incarcerated Veteran Transition Program, which is funded through VETS’ Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.

Currently, Jolly is pursuing a doctorate in behavioral health with a concentration in management at Arizona State University while working as a substance use and mental health specialist. He hopes to one day open a behavioral health reentry program to help recently incarcerated individuals reintegrate back into society. In the meantime, Jolly has reconnected with his young daughter, and his busy schedule means he often must choose between exercising and getting enough sleep.

George Nolan was 17 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a child, he had often felt oddly disconnected from his family and friends. He hoped that joining the Marines would give him the sense of belonging he craved. Nolan trained as a field wireman and deployed to Kuwait. After returning to the United States, he was in an unfortunate encounter that merited his discharge from the service. Nolan was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress as a result of this incident.

While working as a bartender in his native New York, he began using substances. Nolan moved to Arizona to get help for his substance use, only to rack up multiple felony convictions and three prison sentences. The future looked bleak.

But in 2018, after participating in prison gang activity, Nolan began having nightmares. Feeling he was not a person of integrity, Nolan quietly but firmly decided to transform himself. Although he didn’t know where he was going, Nolan knew he didn’t want to stay who he was.

Like Jolly, Nolan became a peer counselor in prison and spent the year and a half before his release creating a behavioral health career program. He currently works as an outreach manager at a non-profit organization, smoothing the transition between incarceration and returning to the community for justice-involved individuals. Nolan, a student at Rio Salado College, a podcaster and a proud grandfather of two is enthusiastic about his new opportunities.

While both Jolly and Nolan did the hard work of turning their lives around, they also availed themselves of services designed for veterans, like the Incarcerated Veteran Transition Program-supported transition program, A New Leaf. A New Leaf helped with clothing, transportation costs to and from work, and resume writing. Equally important, counselors at A New Leaf answered the phone and called to check in, making sure that Jolly and Nolan were set up for success.

Jolly and Nolan are veterans who faced hardships but fought their way out of their darkness. Today they are not only thriving in their careers, but they have also found a passion for helping others. At VETS, we are proud to help these veterans and look forward to their continued success.

Tonja M. Pardo is the Oregon Director for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service.