Charlie Company Marine finds future after falling apart

Charlie Company's Lance Cpl. Andrew Tetloff may just have managed to save some lives by talking about this. He could have kept his life more of a secret than talking about it and played it safe but he did a remarkable job of telling his story, telling what he did wrong and why he did it, taking responsibility and how he is moving on. His character was still there and so many people stepped up to help him and yes, forgive him, that it proved what can happen when people have support. Justice is not just about locking people up but taking a look at their lives. When it comes to someone in the military, their past does matter. No history of problems but back from war suddenly they are getting into trouble screaming "help me" and veterans' courts are trying to address this. This is a great article to read.

Aug. 8, 2010
Marine finds a future after falling apart
Supporters help him out of addiction, into success
BY JOE SWICKARD
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


MIDLAND -- Going from combat camo and Kevlar armor as a Marine in the Middle East to an orange jumpsuit, chains and shackles as a defendant back home was a hellacious four-month journey for Andrew Tetloff.

"We got off that bus, and there was all this screaming and cheering," Tetloff recalled of the parade he and his comrades received in Lansing after returning from their deployment. "It was one of the best moments of my life -- if not the best."

That was late April 2007, and Lance Cpl. Tetloff, of Charlie Company, 1/24th U.S. Marine Reserves, was home after seven months in the middle of violent Fallujah, Iraq.

"Then it was, 'OK, you're done,' " now what? he said.

By early September 2007, scared, strung out on opiates and struggling to readjust to life stateside, a 22-year-old Tetloff was snatching money from startled customers at a Midland ATM. Quickly arrested, he immediately owned up to the crimes and soon stood ashamed before a Midland County judge, pleading guilty and accepting the blame and punishment.

Tetloff's story is not a cautionary tale of a good Marine gone bad. It is, instead, a story of one young man's struggles, his rebound and his unusual allies.

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Marine finds a future after falling apart

RELATED INFORMATION
Reconnecting with Band of Brothers

They've become cops, rebuilt businesses, trained allies overseas, gone to school, re-enlisted and returned to quiet civilian lives.

With today's article, the Free Press begins an occasional series reconnecting with Michigan's Band of Brothers -- all Marine Reserves -- their families and friends who shared their lives with readers and online viewers.

Throughout their 2006-07 deployment to Fallujah, Iraq, the Free Press followed the men and families of the 1/24th Marine Reserves through combat, holidays, struggles, triumphs, memorials and homecomings with written stories and videos.

The stories of Michigan's Band of Brothers were honored with a national Emmy for current events.

In the weeks and months ahead, the Free Press will be presenting some of those same men and their families as they are today.

Joe Swickard



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