The Warriors Rest or The Warrior's Stress

My name is Paul Caltrider. Recently I was a resident of “The Warriors Rest”, a local nonprofit organization, that has claimed, that it is an organization created to help homeless Veterans. Following is my opinions, perceptions and personal experiences, from my year and a half of residency at 137 N Cascade Ave, Montrose, CO 81401, the home of “The Warriors Rest”.

I am a Marine Corps Veteran, that served from 1987-1990. I was discharged under a General-OTH. I have been diagnosed with Complex PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder, Mild Tourette’s Syndrome, ADHD, and a few others.

I have also served time, from 2010-2012.

I was a horrible person once, and I have spent the last 13 years trying to live down who that person was. I went to prison in 2010, for a crime committed in 2007. I was released from prison in 2012 and spent the next 3 years on probation and in therapy. I was released from probation in 2015, fully compliant and a “no-repeat” offender. I spent the last few months in therapy, enduring trauma therapy, for the childhood of abuse that I survived, as well as the intervening years of abuse from the military and toxic relationships, that I had no idea how to avoid. Twice, since 2001, I have attempted suicide. The first was in 2001, after a crushing divorce and the removal of my daughter from my life. The second, was in 2015, in Tacoma, Washington, on my birthday, of July 20th.

After my second attempt to end this existence, I walked away from a senior executive position in an environmental compliance corporation, leaving all my belongings behind, so that I could find myself and my purpose.

From 2015, and ongoing today, I travelled Tacoma and Seattle, Washington; Hemet and Los Angeles, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Walsenburg, Delta, Olathe, Montrose and Ridgeway, Colorado. In these travels, I was led, by my Creator, to interact and live with the Veterans, that occupy the streets of the above named. I fought their fight, I joined them in trying to get help from the Veteran’s Administration and Social Security Administration. I attempted to do those things that they were trying to do, i.e. get discharge upgrades, receive medical treatment, receive mental health treatment, apply for SSDI, etc. As with the transient Veterans, I hit roadblock after roadblock. Some Veterans have been fighting both organizations for decades, with no hope or help in sight.

The mission that began for me in Tacoma, Washington, at a Catholic mission/shelter, which will go unnamed at this time, ended here in Montrose, Colorado, at “The Warriors Rest”, led by Erick Goff and Joseph Miller.

Recent events, have forced my hand in responding, with this article.

I came to “The Warriors Rest”, in the Spring of 2018, after a brief stay at the Lighthouse Ministries shelter in Olathe, Colorado, where I was treated with dignity and respect. I came to “The Warriors Rest”, because I was informed that it was an organization, that helped transient and near-transient Veterans. In the year and a half, that I have spent there, I have learned to my detriment, that it is not so. Following, is my opinions on the leaders of the organization, my perceptions of them and the organization as a whole and my experiences in the residence they operate, at 137 N Cascade Ave. Montrose, CO 81401.

I will begin, with this simple statement. This is NOT an organization, that has the best interests of the participants at its heart.

When I first arrived at “The Warriors Rest”, I met with Joseph Miller, a Navy Veteran. I was quickly introduced to other Veterans living there, as well as civilians, that were either probation/parole participants or recovering addicts/alcoholics. This DOES NOT support the image portrayed as a “Veterans” organization, to the public forum, by Erick Goff and Joseph Miller.

Within my first two days there, I had personal effects stolen, was physically threatened by another Veteran and verbally abused by Joseph Miller, whom resides in the house, rent-free and with privileges only reserved for him.

Over the next year and a half, I was subjected to two physical threats of violence by Joseph Miller, as I was trying to explain my side of a story about an incident with other members of the house. I quote him here now, “If you don’t shut your mouth, I’m going to shut it for you.” I was never given the opportunity to defend myself, when other members of the house, both civilians and Veterans, instigated issues with my person. Erick Goff, was quite fond of saying this to me, “So what did you do wrong? What mistakes did you make? What could you have done different?”. It was never about what they did wrong, to trigger me, nor what should be done about them and the lies that they were propagating, to make me look like the instigator.

I was physically assaulted in the house, by another Veteran, after I had warned both Joseph Miller and Erick Goff, of his imminent assault on a member of the house, following a violent outburst where he punched a hole in the wall. My exact quote to both of them went thus, “He needs to leave the house, because his next move, is to assault someone in the house.” My prediction came true late last year, when on the day I was awoken by a message of the passing of a dear relative, I closed a door a little too hard. The Veteran that assaulted me, Philip E., came charging out of the house, screaming at me and when asked to leave me alone, he refused to do so and hemmed me in. Eventually laying hands on me to the extent of my needing a ride to the hospital. This individual had been trouble in the house for a very long time, and had threatened and physically intimidated other individuals in the house many times, including several incidents with myself, where he blocked me in my room, pressed his chest into me in intimidation and manipulated the truth, to make me seem like the instigator, thereby leading me to one of my first physical threats from Joseph Miller. I hold no animosity or hate in my heart for Phil, because we both grew from the incident. We both realized, the extent of our capability for violence, because we both suffer from PTSD and made a habit of triggering one another. I am proud of the growth, that I saw in myself and Phil. We became a lot closer and calmer after that incident, in which I did not seek legal action, but the City of Montrose did. I was very glad, that they reduced his charges and that he was able to move forward and out of that toxic environment, and I hope he is well today, as we have not seen each other in some time. I have also been physically threatened for my sexuality, (I identify as a Transgender Woman; Meghan Rose Pazzerello), and for defending myself verbally, by multiple residents, which still reside there now. I did my best, to lead by example and exhibit the characteristics, that I once held dear and admired in others, until I came to the realization, that I shouldn’t admire good qualities in others, but to strive to attain and exhibit those qualities, like honor, respect, honesty and trust. I was the quietest person in the house, I ate the least amount of food and did the most for the house and those in it. I’m not stating this to brag, but to show, that I am not, nor was, how Erick Goff and Joseph Miller, would portray me, and I have the support to prove these statements true. I have been in good standing in every community that I have been a part of, since 2012, including Charlottesville, VA; Tacoma, WA and Olathe and Montrose, CO. I am good standing and respected in the business community that I am a part of on LinkedIn, as well as Twitter and Facebook, where I have friends, family and business colleagues, whom would also paint a different picture, then the one that Erick Goff and Joseph Miller, would have you believe.

Not only have I had to endure the physical threats from Veterans and civilians alike, but I have had to endure their mental and emotional abuse, as well. I expect that from mentally damaged individuals and from addicts in recovery, and again, understand and hold no animosity or hate in my heart, because I have been guilty of treating others the same in the past, attributed to mental disabilities. But to endure that from the officers of the nonprofit, Joseph Miller and Erick Goff, was reprehensible. I wasn’t abused every single day by those officers or residents, but it was a very high percentage of my time in residence, that I had to endure one form of abuse or another. The residence at 137 N Cascade Ave, was and is a seriously toxic environment. The seven deadly sins, are alive and well, along with multiple mental disorders, narcissism, gas-lighting and egoism. In my past life, I have been guilty of all of that, and understand why my Creator, chose that place for me to be. It was to truly experience all of the harm that I have caused, in this world, to others. When I was lost in my disabilities, I was lustful, greedy, gluttonous, slothful, wrathful, envious and proud. I was fighting against a world, that I felt I didn’t belong to, a society that tried to break me at every turn and my own self. I became a student of human nature, in my childhood and on, because it was a matter of survival for me. My last probation officer, Jeff Lenert, whom gave me trust, honesty and no judgement, for the first time in my life, helping me on the road to recovery, said that I was a chameleon, because I could fit in anywhere, with anyone and manipulate situations to my advantage. He and I became friends, and I have been a “win”, in his eyes. I lived in regret and shame, for who I was, and ever since, have been trying to live down the monster I became. I thought that I had come to terms with my darkness, but my Creator, decided, that I needed to truly feel the effects of the damage I had caused in the past. It truly opened my eyes and has allowed me to heal and to understand how to repair the damage caused by all the traumatic experiences, that I myself had to endure. It gave me a clearer picture of mental disorders and allowed me to find the understanding and empathy, that I lacked for those who have suffered and are suffering from mental disorders, that change us into things we would rather not be.

With Erick Goff, it was a barrage of mental and emotional attacks, every occasion that we interacted. Going into detail of every one, would take up pages. He was condescending to me about my businesses and what I was attempting to do in the local area. Never supportive, not only in my business pursuits, but in my knowledge and experiences, that I offered, to improve the operations of his nonprofit and to repair/remodel, the residence at 137 N Cascade Ave. He even had the audacity to sit across from me and declare, that he hoped someone would start a business and hire the residents of the house……but never supported me in my pursuits, nor accepted my help with his own. He was always “dogging” myself and other residents, claiming that no one knew how to be a “man of his word”, yet broke every agreement that he made with me, to do work on the house and for the nonprofit, to pay my rent, or work off rent that I was behind in. That included: building a shed in the backyard, which he ended up giving to another Veteran, to “give him something to do”, taking him almost 6 months to complete, what I could have built in a week. I affectionately call it the “Frankenshed”; the upper floor bathroom remodel, which was eventually given to a Veteran, whom volunteered his services to do, that did not live in the house; the lower floor bathroom remodel; a pole shed over where firewood is stored and a patio, which I finished the week of my eviction. His usual comment when first seeing me, was: “What’s up slacker.” (mental and emotional attack). And when new people were around and I showed up: “Watch out for this guy.” (attack on my integrity and honor). He demanded that I read the Bible and the AA Blue Book daily, and said that I could never be right with God if I didn’t. He declared to another resident, Michael G., that I was, “Mentally unstable and spiritually sick.” I would digress, to also add, that Michael G., admitted to me on Sunday, October 6th, 2019, that he was $3000.00 behind in rent, and the only reason that he was removed from the house, is because he had a warrant. He informed me at this time, that in his many returns, to The Warriors Rest, that on the occasions that he had warrants, that Joseph Miller and Erick Goff, would always call and tell the police, that he was in residence and that they would make sure all beds were full, before he got out of jail, so that he had nowhere to go but the streets, and that he would come back to them, as Michael Young did, with his “tail between his legs”, to beg for another chance and the opportunity to get off of the streets. Erick Goff broke his own rules, to allow Michael G. to remain in the house, that much in debt, (10 months), through winter, “because I cannot put a man on the streets during the winter”, even though Michael was deeply in debt to the house and a major disturbance on many occasions. Erick Goff and Joseph Miller, commonly spread residents’ business among residents that had no right to be involved in personal business of other residents. Erick Goff made myself and Michael G. house leaders, against our wishes, which ended up causing major problems for myself, when Michael G. failed to step up and handle the position with me, with the other tenants that disliked me to begin with and causing Michael to fall under pressure, that he was not capable of handling at the time, which sent him into a downward spiral, which I see he is working out of and I am proud of his determination, to heal and become a better person. Erick Goff also demanded that I write the other tenants up for failure to follow rules or to do chores, and proceeded to threaten me with being written up, if I refused to write them up. (I even wrote myself up, because I had the integrity to do so).

All of this abuse and turmoil culminated the end of last month, with my eviction from the residence at 137 N Cascade Ave. I was evicted for being behind $600 in rent, (2 months), and I quote: “Tenant insights troblem wilt other tenants/non-payment of fees ($300 a month for a shared room).”

Let’s break this down.

First, it is “incites”, which I have 2 witnesses, Michael Young and Doug, (a fellow Veteran), that will declare, that I DID NOT incite “problems” “with” other tenants, but they incited problems with me. Including the “army” veteran, “Sam”, that he describes as his friend in a recent Facebook post, that became the reason for this article, to set the story straight. This Veteran, “shoulder-checked” me on three separate occasions, in front of witnesses, for no apparent reason. That is physical assault, that went unanswered. These 2 will stand and declare these things to be true, not conjecture or opinion, including the abuse and maltreatment from both Joseph Miller and Erick Goff, of not only me, but other residents, currently in-house and those that have left. Erick Goff, made it a point, to break the men in his charge. He would gleefully describe to me, how he made these men cry and received sick pleasure in breaking these already broken men. He made it a point, to shame those that sought his help, on multiple occasions, encouraging them to beg, to be in his good graces again, to which he reveled at their misery. Michael G. and Michael Young, were two such individuals, that fell and were put out, and sought to come back multiple times. Their history with Erick Goff and Joseph Miller, is long and tragic.

I was behind in rent, because my work at a local temp agency dried up and I was concentrating on my two ventures, Hempboo Global and Abynormal Inc., and getting investiture. (I am currently awaiting word on my investment proposal, which is under review). Joseph Miller and Erick Goff, again came to me, with a deal to do work on the house and for the organization, to pay off the rent I owed. I did jobs at Erick Goff’s personal property, the last one he withheld $50, argued with me about it, finally declared he would pay, but neither paid me, nor took off the rent owed. I finished the work on the back patio, 10 hours in my final week, (for $12 and hour and a total of $170.00 all told, that he owed me for my work), as far as I could without proper materials, and did the other work requested, no rent was taken off what I owed, and I was still evicted without good cause.

But $600 behind in rent is good cause right? Disregarding the bull manure that was added as a personal attack. It is good cause, except for the broken agreements, (over the course of the year and a half, which would have paid approximately $2000.00, for approximately 160 hours of build time) and the fact that Michael Garcia was over 6 months behind in rent. How can that be?

“The Warriors Rest”, is rife with double-standards and favoritism. Erick Goff would rather stand behind an addict, than a Veteran. He allowed individuals to remain in the house, that were behind in rent, violent, disruptive, actively drinking and doing drugs on the property of his “clean and sober house”. (Of which, I’ve heard both Erick Goff and Joseph Miller, claim, to both donors in person and in the newspaper, radio and television markets, as well as a representative of the Colorado Department of Corrections, say was not happening, when it most definitely was and is to this day). Last year, he allowed the aforementioned individual that was deeply behind in rent, to remain in the house, because “we can’t put somebody out during the winter, we’ll give him until spring.” Ummm, I was just evicted, with winter fast approaching, but I guess it’s okay for me to freeze to death and not his “pets”, because that is how he treated them. Even Joseph Miller has made claim to the double-standards and favoritism in this organization. (He is one of the biggest recipients of those problems. He lives there rent-free, does no chores, barely attempts to ensure that the rules are followed and has all the luxuries, that are denied to the other residents, i.e. air conditioning, a personal heater, a personal fridge in his room, a microwave and coffee machine in his room and is the biggest user of electricity in the house & has in my opinion, been one of the bigger causes of disturbances). No one else, is allowed these things, including myself and another resident, that lived in the hottest/coldest rooms in the house.

They have used another individual’s cancer and rank, as a Veteran Officer, Jason K., to further the goals of their fundraising drive, that is based in lies, misdirection and is all smoke and mirrors, or as we say in the military, a “dog and pony show”. Both Jason and Doug, were a major disturbance in the house, whereas, their behavior, was to see them evicted, in September of 2019. They have both, since gotten themselves in a better place emotionally and mentally, and have quit being a disturbance. They were to be “voted off the island”, as Erick Goff likes to say, that we were like the show “Survivor” in that house, in that people were voted out of the house. This is all a lie. No vote was called, and both themselves and another resident, were allowed to stay, even though they broke many rules. Their behaviors, bothered me not a whit, because at that time, I had all I could take about worrying about other’s behaviors. I mean no ill will towards these individuals, but the story, as ugly as it might be, must be told. No one was EVER “voted” in or out. No one was EVER punished, or suffered consequences for breaking rules or failing to do their assigned duties, except for me and those that would not bend or break.

Not only was I evicted from the house based on a personal attack, but on October 5th, 2019, when I was invited by a resident of the house and my good friend Michael Young, to come by and grab something to eat and drink, and to get property of mine that he was holding for me, (residents are allowed visitors until 10pm), Erick Goff came tearing up to the curb, followed by 3 police cruisers, carrying 3 officers, to have me trespassed from the property, which he had no good cause to do. I was neither causing problems with other residents, nor causing damage to the property, (of which I was one of three residents, that maintained it on a regular basis, as I did my “chores”, daily, while no one else did any, besides Michael Young and the unnamed Vietnam Veteran). He then proceeded to sit on the porch and gloat, grinning in my face, as I was confronted by the local constabulary. I commend those officers, Sergeant Rumbaugh, whom I’ve had interactions with on previous occasions, and Officer B. Suppes, on treating me with respect and courtesy, as well as without judgement, (whom by their looks & my opinion, could see that this was a personal attack, to cause me suffering and limit my already limited resources, for food and water, as well as cutting off my ability to visit with my friends Michael Young and Doug, last name withheld, a fellow Veteran, whom has had his run-ins with Erick Goff and whom I helped get off the streets and unfortunately ensconced in the pit of despair, that is “The Warriors Rest”). These two officers should be commended, for their ability to interact with Veterans suffering from mental disorders calmly, respectfully and with utmost courtesy and respect. I am proud to say, that these officers of the Montrose Police Department, are good and honest people, that exemplify what an officer should represent and how an officer should act, in the face of those suffering.

Erick Goff, has declared that he is helping Veterans and “men in recovery”. There is active drug and alcohol use on property and has been my entire residency. The Veterans that have left, have done so without any assistance from Erick Goff, and I will tell you, that NONE of them, consider Erick Goff their “friend”. He is no one’s friend in that house, or outside of it. He rents a house, that the electrical and plumbing is not up to code, there is a great possibility of asbestos and lead present, the foundation is crumbling and is unlivable, by any standards. It is my opinion, that the local inspector, may have “overlooked” a few things on his last run through. He does not provide the food that is there, that is provided by “Sharing Ministries” and other small donations. He does not provide the clothing that is there, that is all by small donations. Judy, (last name unknown) and the Lion’s Club, have done more for the men in that house and helping them move on, than Erick Goff and Joseph Miller combined. He only provides a roof, a bed, a toilet and a place to cook, (of which I have done many house meals, for the residents). For that, he expects slave labor, and a force of followers that bend and scrape before him. No one is right in how they live their lives, unless they live it the way he demands them to. His personal attacks on me, have been the result of my not breaking to his will, or bending to his yoke. As I previously stated, Erick Goff, takes glee and feeds his ego, breaking broken men, to his will.

He is, in my opinion, an egotistical megalomaniac, with delusions of grandeur. He is uneducated and ignorant, a liar and a manipulator. He has abused others, abused myself, and continues to attack me, out of his need to stroke his own ego and to try to break me still.

His mistake, was making this personal and declaring war on a Marine. I was willing to walk away and let bygones be bygones, but his continuing assault on my honor, on my standing in this community and my name, is reprehensible. The aforementioned Officers of the Montrose Police Department, and the Department itself, will verify, that I have NOT, in my residency in Montrose County, EVER committed a crime, let alone a crime of violence, against anyone or anything. I will be seeking litigation against him, Joseph Miller and “The Warriors Rest”, for mental and emotional anguish, physical trauma, maltreatment of myself and the other residents and recompense, for wages lost and money spent. I am in discussion with a lawyer and it has been deemed that a case is valid, for maltreatment, mental and emotional anguish, defamation of character and slander. (I have documentation and witnesses, to verify all that I have discussed in this article).

These are again, my opinions, my perceptions and my experiences. Make of them what you will.

So, the question that I put to the community of Montrose, Colorado, the constituents and taxpayers, is this:

The Warriors Rest, or The Warriors Stress?

You decide.

(On another good note, the staff of Briarwood Inns, 1225 E Main St. Montrose, Colorado, 970-417-4924, have been very accommodating, pleasant and respectful of a Veteran. I would like to thank both the General Manager, Caleb Chong and Navy Veteran Michael Richard, Operations Manager, for everything they have done for me, in my hour of need.)