[CptSternn]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,4754325.story

Veterans Day is a holiday that honors all who have served in the U.S. armed forces — including those who have run into trouble after the end of their service.

In that spirit, the state's Department of Corrections this week has opened special dormitories for incarcerated vets at several prisons around the state.

Veterans whose service has been verified and who are within three years of being released are eligible. Only inmates who volunteer are selected to live in the dorms.

One of the main ideas behind the program is to "congregate as many inmates as possible in one area where the V.A. could meet with them and discuss the programs available to them," said DOC spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff.

Life in the dorms differs from standard prison life in several ways, including daily flag raising and retiring ceremonies and the use of military standards in maintaining inmates' clothing, bunks and living areas. Staff in the dorms have military backgrounds as well.

Inmates in the dorms have access to academic and vocational programs, and can receive counseling for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Approximately 6,700 inmates in Florida prisons — out of a total population of 101,000 — are veterans, according to Rackelff.

The dormitories are at five prisons: Santa Rosa, Gulf, Martin, Sumter and Lowell correctional institutions. The nearest is Lowell, which is in Ocala. Each unit can house about 400 inmates.

There are no current plans to expand the program to prisons closer to Orlando.

"The military emphasizes pride, character and integrity," DOC Secretary Ken Tucker said in a statement. "By housing veteran inmates in the same dorm before their release from prison, they can work together to recapture some of those qualities, while also learning about programs and benefits available specifically for veterans."

How very patriotic.