Shafted and shafted again, Iraq veteran, homeless, PTSD, dishonorable discharge and it gets worse

Rewards are lacking for a local veteran


Published: Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, September 8, 2008 at 9:10 p.m.
The story of a homeless Iraq war veteran who helped Sarasota police catch a prison escapee, and who now says he's being shorted on the reward money, is really a bigger story.

But let's keep this simple.

Forget about Earl Coffey coming back from combat in Iraq prone to self-medicate to escape flashbacks, often about the day he shot an enemy who turned out to be just an unarmed Iraqi child.

And forget about Coffey's Army court martial and prison sentence for looting many thousands of dollars he and another soldier found in a Baghdad palace. Forget how his less-than-honorable discharge cost him his veteran benefits, which he could really use now that he's a damaged and homeless former soldier.

He has since spent time in jail in Sarasota for trying to sell stolen property. Some life.

Herald-Tribune reporter Billy Cox wrote all about this stuff back in May.

It is just too complicated to even guess who is or should be responsible for what, and what could or should be done to help the man.
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