Reposted from the Center for Death Penalty Litigation
If Tuesday’s election revealed anything about our country, it’s that we are deeply divided. However, Americans do seem to broadly agree that veterans should be revered for their service.
As we celebrate Veterans Day, we want to remind you that veterans make up about 10 percent of death row prisoners in the United States. In North Carolina, 15 percent of the 136 people on death row served in the military. In many cases, the legal system failed to give meaningful consideration to their service, despite research showing that overwhelming numbers of veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress.
While not every veteran sees combat, some of those on North Carolina’s death row experienced the horrors of war. After returning home, they were offered little support for dealing with their invisible wounds. In some cases, there is a direct line between the trauma they suffered and the crimes that led to their death sentences.
Warren Gregory has been on death row since 1993. He served in the first Gulf War, where his unit saw frequent combat. They endured oil fires, missile attacks, and artillery fire. Mr. Gregory received at least six decorations for his service including the Combat Action Ribbon and a Good Conduct Medal. Yet, when his service was complete, he received no screening for combat trauma. In the civilian world, he swiftly deteriorated. He began staying up all night to avoid nightmares. He turned to drinking and drugs and soon lost touch with reality. All were well documented signs of post-traumatic stress which, left untreated, led to violence.
In 1996, James Davis was sent to death row after committing a workplace murder while in the throes of psychosis. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War who survived two brutal combat tours and a shrapnel injury. After his time in the jungles of Vietnam, his combat experiences, combined with a history of severe childhood abuse, touched off severe mental illness. By the time of the crime, he was hearing voices and hallucinating. At his trial, he was so heavily medicated that his speech was slurred and he could not hold a coherent conversation.
Tragically, the jury that sentenced him to death never got to decide whether his combat trauma merited mercy. They heard almost nothing about his military service or his mental illness. In 2009, in a ceremony on death row, Mr. Davis received a long overdue Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.
As you honor veterans today, please take a moment to remember people like James Davis and Warren Gregory, who sacrificed their mental health for their country. Surely, veterans should be worthy of our mercy and compassion, rather than being subjected to our society’s harshest and most extreme punishment.
