Grand Forks court explores possibility of establishing state's first veterans' court Monday, May 11, 2020
G.F. Herald
As a former active-duty veteran, Sam Gereszek is used to speaking two languages: military-speak, and civilian-speak. Now a Grand Forks attorney, Gereszek said when he encounters offenders who are veterans, they often respond better to one language than the other.
"If a veteran and I are sitting down over a beer together or talking, there doesn't really have to be a lot spoken to know that we both know that war is hell. That's kind of a foregone conclusion between us," Gereszek said. "Sometimes an average citizen who didn't go through those events would never understand why a decision was made – to end a life or not to end a life, to go through a door or not to go through a door, decisions that can and will haunt people for the rest of their lives. And a veteran can understand that."