Supporters want county to allow veterans advocate back into office

More than 40 military veterans and supporters gathered at the Madison County Courthouse on Friday to call on county officials to allow veterans advocate Bradley Lavite back on county property.

Since March 2015 Lavite has been locked out of his office after a mental break related to post-traumatic stress disorder, and he is suing the county for permission to return to work, with the backing of the commission that hired him.

In September 2015, a lawsuit filed by Lavite and the county’s Veterans Assistance Commission was dealt a serious blow when Madison County Circuit Judge Steve Stobbs dismissed all three counts, stating that access to the county offices was subject to the discretion of county officials.

Lavite’s physicians have attributed the manic break to post-traumatic stress disorder, which led to a brief hospitalization and criminal charges for breaking a police car window. Lavite was given court supervision on a Class C misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay for the broken window.

Lavite is the superintendent of the Madison County Veterans Assistance Commission, which operates a number of veterans’ services out of the Madison County Administration Building.

Supporters attending a rally for Lavite on Friday outside the administration building included Army veteran Dave Gears. Gears is a commission member who helped hire Lavite. He described Lavite as “about the most dedicated person.”

Gears said Lavite “brought our office up to the 21st century.”

Several Lavite supporters spoke of his job dedication and how the county was treating him unfairly for suffering an “invisible” war wound — PTSD resulting from his military service in a war zone.

Kate Broadhurst, a commission member, described Lavite’s travails with mental illness and dispute with the county as “a blessing” because “it's made Brad more compassionate.”

Lavite is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves and an adjunct professor of military science with the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Lavite served in Kuwait, and in the Iraq cities of Fallujah and Baghdad, achieving the rank of captain as platoon leader and convoy commander, according to Library of Congress records. Through his service, he has been decorated with the Combat Action Badge, two National Defense Service medals and the Bronze Star, among others. He became superintendent of the Madison County VAC in 2009, and was named veteran of the month by the state of Illinois in 2012.

But Lavite has had problems, which his attorney said are attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder relating to his military service. In early March 2015, his wife applied for a temporary restraining order, though later she asked a judge to let the order expire. In that application, Sherry Lavite wrote that her husband now had been properly diagnosed and medicated, which had not always been the case since returning from service overseas.

“He is not a violent person outside of that manic episode we experienced,” she wrote. “He also recognizes that he has a problem that needs to be addressed with help from family and medical staff.”

PTSD is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it. This “fight-or-flight” response is a typical reaction meant to protect a person from harm. Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Those who continue to experience problems may be diagnosed with PTSD. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger.

Symptoms of PTSD — which include insomnia, anxiety, flashbacks and irritability — usually begin early, within three months of the traumatic incident, but sometimes they begin years afterward. Symptoms must last more than a month and be severe enough to interfere with relationships or work to be considered PTSD. The course of the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, while others have symptoms that last much longer. In some people, the condition becomes chronic.

This story was originally published August 27, 2016 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Supporters want county to allow veterans advocate back into office."