Ryan Skuta was home about a year after his third tour of duty, a four-month stint as a freelance infantryman fighting with the Kurds against ISIS in 2016, when he was arrested in Jeannette and charged with drunk driving.

On Tuesday, Skuta, 33, of Irwin, became the first graduate of Westmoreland County’s fledgling Veterans Court program to help former service members charged with crimes to manage their way through the criminal justice system.

“The opportunity to be in Veterans Court was a Godsend to me,” Skuta said.

Photo credit:  Dan Speicher, Tribune-Review