Why I Serve in the Shelby County Veterans Treatment Court By Kevin Rardin

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”   - Rabindranath Tagore.

 

                Why am I in Veterans Court? The answer to that question goes back several years now to one summer day in Kabul, Afghanistan. I had flown up from Kandahar to attend the Counterinsurgency School at Camp Julian. Now, I was seated in the back of an MRAP, and we were about to begin the harrowing ride through the streets of Kabul. As we rumbled out the gate at the airport, I looked up at our driver.

                The driver was young enough to be my child. She could have been at home with family and friends, but she was here in a country at war, and she had a job to do.  As I studied her unlined face, a wave of fatherly love washed over her, love for her and love for everyone who is willing to risk life and limb in the service of our country.  I made a promise then, a promise to help her and everyone like her.

                In the years since, I have worked to fulfill that promise.  When the opportunity to join the Shelby County Veterans Treatment Court came my way, I leapt upon it. Many veterans, especially those who have served in a war zone, struggle to make the transition from life in uniform to life at home. I have.  Some of those who struggle break the law.  They are not defendants who happen to be veterans; they are veterans who happen to be defendants. Our Court and our team work to help those struggling veterans regain their self-respect and the respect of the community.

                I believe in the Court’s mission, and I am honored to be a part of the Court’s team. Thank you, Shelby County Veterans Treatment Court, for serving those who have served us. Thank you, Shelby County Veterans Treatment Court, for giving this veteran the opportunity to make another payment upon a promise I made one summer day in the city of Kabul.

 

Assistant DA Kevin Rardin received the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Actions in a Combat Zone.
He can be contacted at (901) 222-1300 or Kevin.Rardin@scdag.com

Assistant DA Kevin Rardin