An Iraq war veteran undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress
disorder for the past three years will lose his job Friday as a city
firefighter.
“I got a letter last week that I will be terminated Friday,” Jeffrey Wright said. “They have tried to paint a very misleading picture of what’s going on here.”
Wright,
36, has been battling to keep his job since 2010, when he was placed on
medical leave by the city. Wright said he has been undergoing treatment
since 2009 for PTSD related to his combat service and has not worked
since February 2010, when he was placed on medical leave.
Wright was an Army Reserve
staff sergeant who served in Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005 and
became a firefighter in 2007. He was notified last December by Fire
Chief Thomas Garrett that he was being considered for termination under Civil Service Law.
The Times Union
reported last month that Wright had recently received a letter from the
department saying that action was being taken to end his employment.
“The city of Troy’s records reflect that you have been continuously absent from the Troy Fire Department
and unable to perform the duties of firefighter for more than one year
by reason of a disability other than a disability resulting from an
occupational injury or disease,” Garrett wrote in the letter to Wright.
“As permitted by Section 73 of the NYS Civil Service Law, it is the
city’s intention to terminate your employment.”
Garrett said Wright’s case is a personnel matter and he could not comment.
Wright’s attorney, Kevin Luibrand, said he is working with the Troy Professional Fire Fighters Local 86 to try to help Wright.
“The
union is behind him 100 percent,” Luibrand said. “It’s terrible because
he has been through so much and saw terrible things in Iraq. He’s just
been looking for an opportunity to get well and the department never
really appreciated his situation.”
A decade ago, Wright was a city
parade marshal along with his father and two brothers, all of whom have
served in the military. The four soldiers served as grand marshals of
Troy’s 2002 Uncle Sam parade.
“I’ve never had an incident on the job,” Wright said. “There’s never been an issue with my work.”
He has had personal troubles.
In
May 2009 he was arrested in East Greenbush after a fight with his
father-in-law. Wright said he pleaded guilty to harassment, a violation,
but that charge and others he faced were later dismissed.
Wright sought treatment for PTSD after the arrest, but the department declined to allow him to return to duty, he said.
In July, a physician at Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center
wrote a letter that was provided to city officials and highlighted his
history of treatment for PTSD at the hospital since May 2009.
Military
records indicate Wright was in a combat theater in Iraq from February
2004 to March 2005 and, like many soldiers, was subjected to trauma of
war that included witnessing the deaths of civilians and fellow
soldiers. His convoy was hit by an explosive device and he suffered a
concussion when he was thrown by the blast, according to an account of
the incident listed in Wright’s treatment records. Wright has a
demolitions background and his duties in Iraq, he said, included
guarding supply routes in hostile areas.
The Stratton VA doctor,
at Wright’s request, wrote the letter for city officials who were
reviewing Garrett’s request to fire Wright. The July 5 letter outlined
Wright’s concerns about a hostile work environment and his difficulties
with Garrett.
Wright, who is married and has four sons, including a
6-month-old, said he wants to return to his firefighter duties,
although he acknowledges he struggles with anxiety related to both his
military combat experiences and also the department’s efforts to fire
him.
