Parents of Southeastern Military Academy (formerly known as Victory Forge)

We are Back

2010-11-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

After a long vacation and a new job, we are back to bring you more on Alan and Molly and her mom. Stay tuned as we have a lot of emails we are going through and will publish more on the place formerly known as Victory Forge and now has changed its name so as to get away from they sordid past.

This blog will stay active so that people know the real truth.

Happy thanksgiving to all and especially those families who have children who were abused in this or other such places. God bless all of you.

Always knew he was lying

2010-06-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Like this comes as a surprise to anybody, but Alan tells everybody (and states publically) that he has a PhD is specialized business - whatever that is.

Well, a sleuth has dug up the following:

His LinkedIn page says he has a PhD in "Business Administration, Counseling, Psychology" from Southeastern Louisiana University. Combined PhDs are rare, and this one strikes me as particularly bizarre. Also, Southeastern Louisiana University does not have a doctoral program in psychology, they have an MA program only. The same goes for their Business program; no doctoral level programs, only two Masters level programs. So his credentials look sketchy at best. After some Google searching there appear to be questions about his military record as well.

You think he is lying? Isn't this what he has been doing for all his life?

Blast from the Past - Here is another one

2010-04-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

This story is from 2002. See how familiar it is to what happened in 2008 and keeps happening at this place. Should this not be enough to convince parents about how bad this place is??

CHILDREN TELL POLICE OF ABUSE AT VICTORY

BYLINE: Nirvi Shah, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DATE: June 25, 2002
PUBLICATION: Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: LOCAL
PAGE: 4B
MEMO: Ran all editions.
About a year after Victory Children's Home surrendered its state license while under fire from state welfare officials for violating rules for caring for children, youths staying at the home for abused and troubled teens accused their caretakers of abusing them, according to a police report.
Some of the 15 children now staying at the home at 602 S.W. Biltmore St. told police Friday "they had been struck with metal pipes and a wooden paddle as methods of punishment. . . . Shackles were used if children attempted or had 'thoughts' of running away from the home." The home's president, Alan Weierman, and several members of the board of directors could not be reached for comment Monday. No charges have been filed, but police and the Department of Children and Families are investigating the allegations.
When a DCF investigator tried to look into the allegations on Friday, staff members would not allow her to go inside, despite a court order allowing the agency to enter the home and interview the children, according to the police report.
Weierman eventually allowed the investigator to question youth at the home but only under conditions the DCF investigator found unacceptable. So police took all 15 children to the police station, questioned them, then released them to their parents. More than one youth made the accusation, police spokesman Chuck Johnson said.
Victory Children's Home works with children of all ages up to 17 who have behavior problems that are the result of abuse, neglect and drug and alcohol addiction. It also hosts a residential boot camp-like program that, according to its Web site, will push boys' bodies to their limits. Boys spend hours in the home's physical training area. They may not call home for the first two weeks after joining the program.
"Your son may complain to you about unbearable pain, crying that it's too hard. DON'T BE FOOLED!" the site states. Photographs on the site show young men wearing fatigues crawling in the sand and crossing shallow water walking on narrow logs.
"You've come to the right place for help for your daughter or son," writes Weierman in a message to people thinking about using Victory Children's Home. "Our professional staff work hard to insure that your confidence in us is never betrayed and I personally pledge the very best therapeutic care available. You will find our methods unconventional and unorthodox. Our expectations are very high, but I know that you will be very pleased with the progress you see in your child over the course of their stay with us."
Although the state no longer licenses the home, the Web site states it is a member of the Florida Association of Christian Child Caring Agencies, National Association of Christian Child Care Agencies and the Florida Coalition for Children. The Department of Children and Families no longer refers children to the home, spokeswoman Betty Robinson said.
Victory Children's Home opened in Fort Pierce in 1984, then moved to Port St. Lucie in 1993. Weierman has been president since 1987.
In a 2000 complaint, DCF wrote that that Victory officials left a 17-year-old alone in the parking lot at another children's shelter run by the Children's Home Society. Another alleged violation involved allowing an 11-year-old with a history of sexual offenses to share a bedroom with another child. The home surrendered its license without a hearing about six months after the complaint was filed and as the license was set to be revoked.

Warring

2010-04-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

People may want to head over to Wikipedia and see the warring going on between Weirman and the editors at Wikipedia. Apparently, Alan is using the same accusatory and whiny tactics he has used on the police and the regulators to force Wikipedia to change their story on this child abusing facility. What Alan is incapable on understanding is that in this new digital age, his rants will not work. So to stop his cry baby tactics, he has been warned that any additional warring or defacing the Victory Forge article will get his IP blocked forever. Since that threat, Alan has been a good little boy and has stayed away (and has asked Molly) to stay away from Wikipedia as well.

So now if you want to hear the truth, head over to Wikipedia.

Moral and Ethic - Not

2010-01-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting twist on the story we have been communicating to everybody. Apparently Molly and Alan and their kids have been telling the world that Southeastern Military Academy is not the same as Victory Forge. They have even been vocal and threatening towards Wikipedia and their editors since all evidence and information points towards the facts that SEMA and VF are one and the same place. Yet Al has decided to twist the truth (see a common theme here - he does that all the time) and claim that SEMA is not VF. He claims that this is one of the top boarding schools in the country, yet this is not the case. He claims to help parents and students, yet this is not the case.

So Al, you claim to teach the students moral and ethics. Don't you think you should try following it yourself first?

Another Blast from the Past

2009-12-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

Very interesting newspaper story published by the Akron Beacon Journal on 3/11/1992. This story shows a pattern of abuse and then hiding it that continues to this day. Reader of this blog will see similarities between this 1992 case and the ones that have been occurring at Victory Forge. Now don't you think that if this abusive and manipulative behaviour has been allegedly occurring for 17+ years, there has to be some truth in it?

Akron Beacon Journal (OH)
March 11, 1992
Section: METRO
Edition: 2 STAR
Page: D1

BRINKHAVEN KEPT QUIET STARK YOUTH HOME DIDN'T REPORT 16-YEAR-OLD SUMMIT GIRL'S ALLEGATIONS IN `86, AS REQUIRED BY OHIO LAW, WHEN SHE CHARGED SHE HAD SEX WITH FOUNDER'S SON-IN-LAW
DAVID KNOX, Beacon Journal staff writer

Stark County officials were unaware of complaints of sexual abuse brought nearly six years ago by a 16-year-old Summit County girl living at the Brinkhaven Homes for Youth because the homes' officials failed to alert authorities. Such notification is required by Ohio law.

The allegations were investigated by local police in August 1986, about two months after the girl left Brinkhaven and her relatives complained to Summit County Children Services, said Lawrence Township Police Chief Roy E. Mosely II.

The girl charged that she had sex with Alan Weierman, a Brinkhaven staff member, more than 30 times between August 1985 and June 1986, when she returned home, according to Lawrence Township police reports. Weierman is the son-in-law of Brinkhaven's founder, the Rev. William Brink, who is being investigated by a county grand jury because of allegations that he sexually abused two former residents. Weierman denied the allegations during the 1986 investigation. He could not be reached to comment Tuesday, in Fort Pierce, Fla., where he is director of Brinkhaven's home for unwanted children.

Mosely said his investigation found `sufficient probable cause' to prosecute Weierman, including a polygraph test given the girl and a calendar she kept of the alleged sexual encounters. However, no charges were filed because Massillon chief city prosecutor John Simpson indicated there was not enough evidence to corroborate the girl's allegations.

William Brink told police the charges were groundless, saying the girl admitted to fantasizing about Weierman in March, when she was questioned after talking to other residents, Mosely said. Brink also produced letters from residents stating the girl `had made the incident up.'

But another difficulty the investigation encountered was `the length of time that had elapsed' between the girl's departure from Brinkhaven and when police were called in, Mosely said in an Oct. 7, 1986, letter explaining to Summit County Children Services officials why the prosecutor was not filing charges.

That time gap would not have existed, according to Stark County Human Services officials, if Brinkhaven officials, instead of her family, had reported the allegations to authorities.

Judee Genetin, chief legal counsel for the department, said Ohio law requires all child care facilities to report `any suspicions' of abuse or neglect immediately. Genetin also questioned why Brinkhaven officials had questioned the girl and other residents about the allegations. `They're not supposed to investigate the allegations,' she said. `We do that.' Program director Ronald Lewis said the county would have been very interested in learning about the allegations in 1986 because officials already were very concerned about the number of complaints of excessive discipline and other problems at Brinkhaven during the mid-1980s.

Jon Weierman Part 2

2009-12-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

We have talked about Jon Weierman before. He is one of the son's of Al Weierman and is an instructor at VF. Allegedly, most of the former students we have interviewed have claimed that Jon was the source of a lot of the abuse going on in the school. He supposedly has a very violent disposition and since his Dear Dad runs the school, Jon abuses his status over there. A few former employees also had the same thing to say about this disturbed man. In psychological terms, Jon is very insecure and is on a power trip. Also, it has come to our attention (and this needs to be further investigated), but Jon was also a burnout and a former drug addict. If that behavior is still going on, that would be cause to remove him from the services of VF. We are looking into these allegations and will update as we get more information. Anybody with additional information on this man, get back to us.

Jon, we are watching you.

United States Commerce Association

2009-11-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

We have been meaning to debunk another of Weierman's untruths for a long time, but did not get around to it. Well here it is now - better later than never.

Victory Forge and their 3 boosters (yes that is all they have) have been going around and telling the world that VF has received an award from the United States Commerce Association (USCA). Before we jump to discuss what this award really means, here is what the USCA does.

This is an organization which is supported by its members. So VF pays dues to the USCA. In return, USCA promotes its members with public relations, advertising and marketing. They then give out these "Best of Local Business" awards to showcase their members. These awards are given to their members and are basically nothing but marketing ploys. Also, the USCA is a for-profit organization. So good people, do not buy this other lie and gimmick that these folks at VF are selling.

What does this award really mean? It means that VF paid their dues to the USCA who in turn is fulfilling their mission to promote their business. They do this by using the term award, which means absolutely nothing.

Try again Weierman.

VF is hurting

2009-10-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

We would imagine that folks have finally caught on to the untruths perpetuated by the Weiermans. Victory Forge, the “teenage prison” which they run been rightly accused of child abuse and other charges. There is so much more they are hiding and continue to hide, but this blog and questions from other potential parents have finally taken a toll on them and Victory Forge.

Now to compensate for this loss, they are opening up their so called program to day students. These are the same types of kids who are in the boarding program, but the difference is that the day kids leave the facilities to go back home at the end of the day.

This opens up a whole new bunch of questions.

- VF has stated that the kids enrolled in the program are “bad” and need to be “locked” up. So the day students would be just as “bad” but they do not need to be locked up? Smells like another money grubbing ploy.
- Why would parents send their kids to this program, which provides no education? Would a recognized high school / junior high not do a better job of educating their kids?
- So when a day student returns home, they are free to do whatever they want, right? So what is the value proposition being offered here?

Parents – beware. This is just another approach by these hucksters to convince you that your child is bad and needs their help. When you are your weakest, they will rip you off by offering you false hope and promises. Do your bank account and your child a favor – stay far away from these child molesters.

Help out a cadet trapped at VF

2009-09-06T06:29:00.001-07:00

We have received several emails from concerned individuals about one particular teen who is trapped at VF. Apparently, foster parents get reimbursed by the states for sending their foster kids to this school. From our understanding, these foster parents make money by sending the kids to this place. Reeks of perverse incentive, does it not. The foster parents see a money making idea; enroll their kids at VF in the guise that they are bad kids; make cash; repeat cycle.

So there is one student at VF who has been put in there by his mom in spite of the fact that there is nothing wrong with him. His relatives, friends, and other families have pleaded with the mom to reconsider what she is doing, but the financial rewards are too great for her that she is willing to sell her child to this evil place.

We have approached a parent who has helped us get advice from a few good attorneys. We have asked him to help us get this kid out of Victory Forge. The parent has offered to pass on the information to an attorney who will investigate the law and see what can be done about this kid.

We will provide more details as we receive them. In the interim, I hope more people are realizing this place is more than meets the eye. They are in it for a buck and will take some good kids and instead of stating that these kids do not need their help, will embark on this awful journey with them. These are kids for crying out loud - hell has a place reserved for people like the Weirmans and those who will send their kids to this hell hole for monetary gains.

More to follow....

So it continues....

2009-08-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

We are still on vacation and will be getting back to this blog on a regular basis starting next month.

Until then, just wanted to inform you that the Colonel and his "people" have embarked on another misinformation project. They are now telling ever body who cares to listen that this blog is being managed by someone who wanted money from the school. They even state that our child needed this place (when in fact we never had a child enrolled in this prison for teens) and we were being bad parents by getting them out.

So now beings the next phase. Thanks to all for continuing to provide us with tid-bits of information. Even though we cannot corroborate all the information, we will get to it in due time. So let the emails come and together we can get the word out that Victory Forge is not a place where parents should send their kids - especially not when an accused child molester and former drug addict is minding the house. Some role model 'eh?

School is not accredited

2009-07-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

So, while most others may be enjoying a nice and relaxing summer, ours is really hectic and we have been spending less time on the blog than we would like to. For all those who are sending us emails and comments, please continue to do so. Once the summer ends, we will have more time to dedicate to this blog and will continue exposing Victory Forge for the fraud it is.

In the meantime, all parents who believe that they children are getting an education at this place, realize that according to the Florida Department of Education, this school is not accredited. What this really means is that if your child happens to finish the 12th grade here, he would have completed high school from VF. Then if he were to go to college, he would have to provide transcripts and diplomas proving that he finished high school. A lot of colleges will not accept diplomas or transcripts from schools which are not accredited. The colleges do this because they are a lot of scams out there (no, really??) where people will state that they have completed high school in a place like VF, which is not really a high school. So in other words, since VF does not educate children according to an approved curriculum, the college will assume that you child did not complete high school.

If you children are not planning on going to college, this is still important as most jobs ask where they graduated from (including the armed forces). If the high school shows up as not accredited, the employer has the right to ask for more information or assume that the person applying for the job did not finish high school.

Something to think about especially if you think your $28K (tuition fees paid to Victory Forge) is tuition which includes a high school education.

Still Here

2009-06-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Received some pretty mean email from someone from VF. Basically telling us that they outlasted us and that we would never win. They thought we had disappeared and would not return. Basically, they tried to brow-beat us.

News alert, we are still here (had to attend some family matters) and we will not go away until Victory Forge changes the way it conducts business or is shut down. They are run by a bunch of carnival bakers (and that is an insult to carnival bakers).

Once we settle in, we will post some additional emails from our readers.

Also, we heard back from the Dr. Phil show. At the current time, they are not looking to do a story on teens and discipline. They will run a follow-up to their stories on the Aspen Ranch and at that point, they may contact us to possibly get some information from us. So all is not lost.

Stay tuned for another exciting summer.

Guest Author: A Former student

2009-05-05T17:42:00.001-07:00

I don't want to dive into the ugly details of what happened at that place. I thank you for telling the world about the evil that is Victory Forge. Molly and the Colonel are two of the most deceitful people on the face of this earth. My 7 months there were hell on earth. I was physically abused and emotionally destroyed. I can tell you that this place caused more harm to me than I caused to society or anybody else. For this privilege, my parents had to pay these crooks $28,000. I can tell you of one incident where my face was hit many times, against a wall until I was bleeding. I was then told to shut up or I would feel more pain. I can tell you other such abuse against me and others over there. Again, I will be happy to discuss this matter with you or your parents. This place is a sham and is guilty of everything they have been accused of.

Blog owner comments: This post was edited for typos and grammar. The content was not changed.

Guest Author: Parent of a Former Student

2009-04-23T19:24:00.001-07:00

I remember getting the call from Florida DCF stating that my child was in grave danger and that his life maybe at risk. I was told that the DCF was investigating child abuse charges at Victory Forge and they suggested that we remove our child from there. We called up Molly to ask her what to do, and she advised us to follow DCF directives and remove our child from there. That was all she said to me and it made me wonder if she was hiding something from me. I could not get any other information from her. So I drove to Port St. Lucie the same day and picked up my child. The greeting at the Victory Forge office from Molly was less than cordial and the Colonel was no where to be seen. I waited for my son who was brought to me and I left the place. While waiting there, I did not get any words of comfort from Molly. I would imagine, the Colonel had not instructed her what to say at that point so she was a “deer in the headlights”. I brought my child to the safety of our home and followed the news where the Colonel went on a rampage against anybody who questioned what he did. At this point I realized that they shackled children, hit them, made them eat their own vomit, mentally abused them, scared them, made them do menial work. This was not what was communicated to me and this was not what I paid these people a lot of money to do. They should be ashamed of themselves and I want to warn every parent who even considers them, to stay far away from this prison for children. My son was very shaken up for month after his experience there and has nothing positive to say about it. He has finally opened up and started telling me more about the hell hole know as Victory Forge. I will share more of his experience with you and the other parents.

The letter above is our new series of reports and letters written to us by parents, students, former students, and anybody else who wants to provide stories or facts to us. All names will be protected and will never be released.

About 1 year....

2009-04-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

In a few weeks, it will be the 1 year anniversary of Victory Forge being shut down for child abuse. Of course, they subsequently opened and have started their shenanigans all over again. What is impressive is that a lot of parents and even more well wishers have continued to support our intent and our blog. For that, we are truly grateful.

It has come to our attention that Weierman had stated that this blog will be like many other complaints and annoyances that he has experienced over the past 20 years. He was convinced, that he would be able to last longer than the blog and all this will soon be forgotten. Well, we have news for you Alan - we will never forget the abuse our children went through at Victory Forge. We will never forget the lies and untruths that you propagated and sold like some snake oil salesman. We will never forget the scars and the bitter taste you left in our mouths. And we will make sure that future generations who even think about sending their kids to Victory Forge, will know what kind of place that truly is.

We are also going to start a guest post column. This will enable all parties and sides to honestly and fairly express their thoughts about the situation. Please be sure that the statements are indeed factual and not made up. We will then publish the guest blog with or without the guests name (that will be up to the writer to decide). We hope that you take part in this exercise to continue populating this blog.

Blast from the Past

2009-03-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Remember this editorial from the Palm Beach Post?

The points discussed here are still valid and still need to be addressed by Victory Forge. It is because of some of these loopholes, Weierman and his minions can get way with abuse. Yes, it is abuse when kids are beaten, food is withheld, and cover-ups happen. Yes, someone of the kids may be bad, but they should not be treated like animals, even though parents may have signed away the kid's rights.

Still waiting from the State legislator to act to regulate these prisons for teens.

Recap:

1. In April, a 16-year-old boy ran away from Victory Forge Academy, a private, boot camp-style military school in Port St. Lucie. The teen had been shackled for several days, and even had been confined overnight.

And what will the system wind up doing about that? Nothing.

2. A DCF spokesman said the agency has serious concerns about student safety at Victory Forge, but because the school is private, the agency has no authority to regulate it.

3. Parents, who pay more than $28,000 a year for a child to attend the school, sign agreements that they accept the various forms of discipline the school uses, including the shackling of runaways.

4. So, who protects students from the abuse at unregulated schools? Apparently, no one.

Dr. Phil and teen issues

2009-03-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Love him or hate him but Dr. Phil McGraw is a psychologist. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, a master's degree in experimental psychology and a Ph.D in clinical psychology. He is also a TV personality who says it like he sees it.

One of our parents happen to sit on a flight next to a producer of the Dr. Phil show. While talking, the parent happened to mention the unregulated boot camps for teens that are prevalent in the US and brought up the one in St. Lucie which claims to be blessed by the military. The producer stated that they had done shows on troubled teens (links of the shows were provided to the parent and we will refer to them in other posts) and that what he heard from the parent, sounded very disturbing to him. He was intrigued by the idea to talk to children who have gone through these programs to see how they did once they left and if these unregulated boot camps had any lasting psychological damage on them. Empirically speaking, he stated that he would believe the answer was yes these boot camps cause more damage than they do good.

If this becomes an idea for a show, parents who sent their children to Victory Forge, please let us know if you and your children would like to talk to the Dr. Phil show. The way it works is that once a show idea is approved, the show will interview parents and students. A selected few would then appear on the show. The parent is in contact with the producer and will offer up names once the show is a go.

As an aside, some of you may have known that a parent had contacted the O'Reilly Factor last year, to inform them about the abuse taking place at Victory Forge. The hope was to get the Factor to investigate. Unfortunately, with the election being such a big story, our story was drowned out. The parent had asked if he should try again. We think, YES. If you think otherwise, let us hear your comments.

Port St. Lucie Unemployment

2009-03-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Unemployment rate in Port St. Lucie recently passed 10%. In a relative sense, this is not all that surprising because of the immense stresses our economy is going through. But taken within context, this is bad for the city.

There are about 192,000 civilians working in the city. Of this, over 19,000 has no jobs. Forbes magazine predicts that this spring, the outlook for the city will worsen to the tune of another 14% because "Like so many areas in Florida, Port St. Lucie was hit by the one-two punch of drops in both the hospitality industry and construction."

So why is this important to what we are trying to accomplish? For one, we don't want Port St. Lucie's unemployment rate to balloon by 2 Weiermans and how ever many of their progeny they have employed there. But this should be another wake up call for the otherwise dormant Al, that all is not well in the world and that he needs to change with changing circumstances. The populist tide is against him; the legal tide is against him; and now the economic tide is turning against him.

Remember Al, we all have to account for our sins. Are you ready?

John Chapter 5, verses 26-30

"For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted also to the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to do judging, because Son of man he is. Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment. I cannot do a single thing of my own initiative; just as I hear, I judge; and the judgment that I render is righteous, because I seek, not my own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

Victory Forge Truth Website

2009-02-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

Recall, that we had been working with a web developer to create and publish a website exposing Victory Forge and those running the establishment. We had interviews and stories from former students, employees, and residents of Port St. Lucie. We even managed to find some people from Brinkhaven who gave us some pretty lurid details on Alan Weierman. Towards the end of last year, our web developer became really busy and the website development slowed (we are not exactly a well paying client for him). We have now completed most of the website and were ready to release it to the world.

One parent suggested to us that the contents be reviewed by his attorney prior to release. We complied with the request and the attorney has suggested that we refrain from posting the details at this time due to potential legal issues that may be raised. We have two options:

1. Let Alan Weierman and Victory Forge review what we have and provide us with any statements or evidence to whatever they disagree with or think is untrue. We will then either remove the content (if we have it wrong) or display the content (if we think Weierman is trying to lie to us).

2. Publish the website and expose the truth behind this jail for teens.

Ok reader, here is your chance to tell us what to do. We know most of you will select option 2, but please try and keep emotions out of this. Remember, our goal is to expose these deviants no matter how long it takes.

Another Option for Troubled Teens

2009-01-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

We continue with providing parents with alternatives to the hellish place known as Victory Forge. We received another letter from a former student who was there in 2002 - he repeats the same allegations that all others have about this place. We cannot caution parents enough about VF.

From official statements: Teen Challenge is one of the oldest, largest and most successful programs of its kind in the world. Established in 1958 by David Wilkerson, Teen Challenge has grown to more than 170 centers in the United States. Teen Challenge is structured to allow flexibility in meeting the needs of those whose lives have been shattered by addictions. Where residential care is needed, Teen Challenge offers a well-developed, multi-phased discipleship training program. Teen Challenge also provides extensive non-residential assistance through personal and group sessions. Prevention programs are provided to thousands each year through public school assemblies and church meetings.

It is our guess that the Weierman's have tried to copy the religious aspects of Teen Challenge to offer legitimacy to their prison for teens. Teen Challenge, according to our research and interviews is more cost effective and promotes confidence in teens rather than destroying them. Moreover, there are Teen Challenges' in just about every state, and there may be one right by you. Click here for locations.

Spin Master Weirman (no not the machine you use in the gym!)

2009-01-06T13:02:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to all our readers.

A while ago, a parent contacted us and stated that he had hired some private investigators to perform a background check on VF and those running the program. The parent did not want to share that information with us on advice of his attorney. Now, the parent has been permitted to share some information on the findings of the PI with us. This story has been corroborated by prior employees.

Recall that Alan Weierman is married to Molly whose father, Rev. William Brink, was a convicted child molester who went to prison. Also recall, that Alan Weierman himself had many run-ins with the law and has known violent tendencies. Details can be found in older posts and elsewhere on the web.

Alan and Molly’s son, Jonathan was also a troubled child who had issues with drug and drug abuse. Alan and Molly had tried to cover this up and even went so far as to lie to their staff that their son was in drug rehab when in reality he was at his child molesting grandfather’s house. At this time, we do not have additional details as that information was not sent to us by the parent.

Knowing that a child is in custody of a violent man who is known for his bad temperament should cause a parent to pause. Add that to the fact that the institution was started by a convicted child molester who had a shady history and the fact that the Weierman’s could not discipline their own children, let alone someone else’s. How could someone of good conscience place their children in such a place run by such people? I guess forgiveness is divine, but if someone has 3 or more strikes against them, caution is needed not forgiveness.

We will try and get more information on the Weierman’s for you. They are, and let us quote a former employee “spin masters” so facts are what will matter. The facts are in front of you – the Weirman’s are a messed up family who are trying to teach kids the straight and narrow. Hypocrisy, is one of the words that comes to mind.

2008-12-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

Another alternative, which is very cost effective is to use a parent support group in your area. There are a lot of support groups which provide classes, tips and other suggestions to help out your teen. This is a great place to start and will also help provide you with ideas.

Counselors sent us a list of some of the support groups they were familiar with. We wanted to compile a list, but we noted that such a list has already been compiled by Parenting Teens. In some cases, a few states are still missing and we will try and complete the list on that site.

To find a support group in your area, click here.

If you have additional questions, please forward them to us and we will send it out to our counselors.

Alternative 1

2008-12-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

We will be posting a list of alternatives to the miserable boot camp, known as Victory Forge. We will then be providing a brief write-up on some of them.

The one alternative that has garnered rave reviews for the counselors who we have been talking to, is run by a foundation called "The Starr Foundation". They run several schools in Michigan and Ohio which are part of the Starr Commonwealth. We ran a brief query of news story on this organization and it appears that local government officials and MI and OH senators visit these locations frequently to get a first hand look at the potential. President Elect Obama has also stated his admiration for this place. We talked to some of the people running this program and they are professional, grounded and have NO past history of run-ins with the authority. Now that is a refreshing change. We also had a parent visit one of the locations and they reported back to us that the grounds were beautiful and looked like something out of a well manicured golf course. The housing is first rate and the children are not placed into a tiny little house. They have the opportunity to be free but disciplined and guided. A stark contrast to the little house on Biltmore crammed with children.

For more information, go to the Starr Commonwealth website. You can see pictures of the place and get a good idea of what a place for troubled teen should look like.

If you have information on this or other schools, please send them our way.

Laughing all the way to the bank

2008-12-26T17:53:00.001-08:00

Our sources have informed us that Alan and his wife have been stating that the best thing to happen to them was that the DCF started investigating their school. This forced the parents to remove the children.

To see why these Weierman's have been so happy, consider the math. Assume there were 20 children in school right before the DCF started their investigations. Each of then paid, at a minimum $28,600. Let's assume for the sake for brevity (Alan, that means being brief - try it sometime!), that the average time that these students spent at Victory Forge was 6 months. Meaning that they had 6 months left. Do the math - the Weierman's pocketed about $200,000 of unearned income - this is money that was prepaid by the parents that was not used on the children. So what happened to this cash? Only the Weierman's know and they are not telling.

My guess is that it was not used for school purposes. Looking into the money trail to see where that may lead us as well. Alan, you can run but you cannot hide. If Bernie Madoff can be caught, you are a petty little wannabe compared to him.

Anybody have any ideas on what Alan and Molly did with all this cash?? Any guesses?

Alternatives to this Prison

2008-11-24T13:43:00.001-08:00

We will now begin a series of posts helping parents find alternatives to Victory Forge. This institution has been accused, time and time again, of child abuse. I guess the old saying still holds, "where there is smoke there is fire". In many cases, think of this - "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". The Weiermans have done a fantastic job of fooling parents and the community, but the truth is being exposed. Here is part 1 of alternatives:

Most troubled adolescents have underlying emotional and behavioral problems that are rarely addressed in military-style boot camps. Boot camps are about discipline, deferring to authority, and saying, "Yes, Sir!," often in response to pointless directives. Does running miles on a muddy track carrying a log teach the same thing as cooperating with peers in creating a camp fire so you will can cook a meal and be warm at night?

Therapeutic programs that combine therapy, the teaching of survival skills, and the impact of the natural environment create more profound, lasting changes in struggling adolescents.
Boot camps, even more juvenile offenders, have a history of problems, from accusations of abusive staff to poor training that has led to serious incidents and even death of their adolescent participants.

Therapeutic Wilderness Program teach:
- Respect of authority
- Self-DisciplineCooperation
- Responsibility
- Self-Esteem
- Self-confidence

Military-Style Boot Camp teach:
- Fear of authority
- Doing "as told"
- Obedience
- Repression
- Resentment

Source: CRC Health Group

Still Here

2008-10-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

No, we have not wandered away. We are still here, busy with our day time jobs and creating a new website. The web developer has been busy with other projects, so things have slowed down a little on that end. Since we are underpaying the web developer, we only think it is fair for him to concentrate on other jobs that pay him his full rate. We also have been receiving a steady flow of emails from all sorts of people - thanks for that. Interestingly, we have been getting a few emails from prospective parents asking us for more information on VF. We will be happy to provide them with our opinions and perspective. What bothers us is that VF is on their propaganda streak yet again, but this time their venom is reserved for this blog. For example:

They have been telling people that we do not publish anything positive about Victory Forge or the Colonel. If there was something positive to publish, we would. We did receive 2 emails from supporters of VF, but they were laced with obscenities or non-factual information and we did not think it was appropriate to publish them. If VF has proof they want to provide to refute any of the comments or allegations posted here, we will be more than happy to publish them. But of course, those people do a better job of lying than providing information. We have given VF and the fake Colonel ample opportunities to defend themselves, but they have not. We have point blank asked them for information, and they have not provided it to us. So beware of their manipulative tactics. These are the people you are entrusting your children to.

We have also been asked to recommend alternatives to Victory Forge for parents who are at wits end about disciplining their children. While we are not experts at that, we have forwarded those queries to legitimate counselors in the community and asked them for suggestions. We will post their recommendations once we get them.

In the meantime, if readers have suggestions for potential parents looking for VF alternatives, please let us know.

A Manifesto for Change at Victory Forge

2008-09-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

To mitigate the lies being propagated by Alan Weierman, here in a summary format is what many parents, former students, and residents of PSL want to accomplish. A few others are taking a different approach, but it may behoove the folks who run Victory Forge to pay heed to this.

The Weierman’s should acknowledge that there are major changes that need to be made to the way that they run this business (yes, it is still a business). Time and time again, the same accusations are made against them. An intelligent person would make structural changes to avert the allegations from re-surfacing. Al Weierman has done no such thing and stubbornly refuses to even acknowledge that there is any truth to any of the allegations. Al, implement a strict procedure which prohibits all activities you and your ilk have been accused of. It is that simple.
Open the school to regulatory bodies who should be allowed to make spot checks and ascribe to a preamble that prohibits child abuse – physical or mental. Hire trained individuals instead of those off the street making minimum wages. These people have no training whatsoever in behavioral sciences and make the problem worse. In addition, nepotism should be prohibited as your children may not be the ideal instructors as they themselves have had no training and may be guilty of abuse. The difference, you will fire outsiders but protect insiders.
Stop spreading lies that parents are extorting money from you. The money belongs to the parents who pre-paid for their son’s education - education that was never completed. So now if they want a portion of their money back, it is NOT called extortion. Actually, you are stealing from the parents because you have taken their money and refused to provide the services promised. But of course, you don’t hear the parents telling the world that you are a thief. Discuss with parents and figure out a reasonable solution to the monetary problem. You do not want to fight parents who are in the right. You do no good to the school or yourself.
Once you have accomplished 1-3 above, then you can work to see what has been done on the legislative and PR front to bring the plight of those abused by your school to the forefront. In addition, when 1-3 are accomplished, I would think that parents would be more open to supporting the place and the activities of a school of this sort.

Again, parents have been in touch with FL legislators and have gained tremendous support from the Governor’s Office and FL AG’s office, not to mention several senators. In addition, a lot of information has been collected that has not been made public to us, but a few parents are holding this to make available at the appropriate time. We are trying to get some of that to post on our website which is still in development.

Al, your arrogance and antagonistic behavior is the reason why the tide has and continues to turn against you. Remember, “with courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity and humility the foundation of humanity”. Humility will serve you well. Try it!

Purpose of this Blog

2008-09-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

Some have asked us about the purpose of this blog. Some have asked Alan Weierman (no, not Colonel or Dr. since he is neither) about the purpose of this blog. The answer as you can imagine, are diametrically opposed. We want to set the record straight.

Let us start with Weierman’s take on the blog. He has stated, on the internet, and to several parties that this blog is to extort money from him or Victory Forge. He has also stated that this blog is being administered by one or two disgruntled former parents who are uneducated or not connected to "powerful people".

We want to correct Weireman on all accounts. First, extort means “obtain through intimidation” something which does not belong to the parties extorting. I am sure Weirman knows that extortion is a criminal offense. Also I am sure Weierman knows that the money that the parents are asking for is money that was prepaid by the parents and rightfully belongs to them. Second, Weierman is under the impression that Victory Forge and he are synonymous. So to clarify, Alan, if someone is asking for money back, they are asking for money from Victory Forge, not from Weierman (legally, he should know that). Finally, this paroxysm by Weierman is yet another example of his duplicitous tactics, one that he has employed in the past and thinks he can do so again. He has stated that the parents who send their kids to this school are not very educated or well connected to cause him any damage. Now that is where he is wrong. This blog is not being supported by one or two parents. It is not being supported by parents who are uneducated. On the contrary, this blog is being supported by parents, former employee, former Port St. Lucie police, former students of Victory Forge, and other well wishers who know the awful place Victory Forge is.

Our next post will lay out a plan of action and provide more on the supporters. Stay tuned.

Weierman has no PhD Either?

2008-09-02T20:58:00.001-07:00

So we received a tip from a resident of Port St. Lucie who has followed Victory Forge rather closely for a number of years. He provided us with a very intriguing tid-bit: Alan Weierman is not really a PhD. In order to corroborate this information, we called all the universities in Florida and Ohio (States where Weierman has lived) and asked them if anyone by the name of Alan Weierman enrolled in a PhD program and graduated. Some universities have online searches where you can search for alums. A few universities needed written letters from us before they could respond - letters which we have sent out. The others had no knowledge of this man. We then thought that maybe Weierman attended a program in another state and so we decided to ask him directly. Here are the email excerpts (typos and all).

In a message dated 8/19/2008 11:23:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, victory.forge@hush.com writes:
received an email from a former resident of PSL stating that you really don't have a PhD. it is from a diploma mill, probably costing $699. maybe in you case, they gave you a discount due to ineptitude.care to prove this resident of PSL wrong? if you prove the statement wrong, you will receive a positive post on the blog.

alweierman@aol.com writes:
I would certainly like the oportunity. How do you suggest I go about this.

In a message dated 8/22/2008 6:42:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, victory.forge@hush.com writes:
fax or email us a copy of your diploma. it is that simple.

alweierman@aol.com writes:
Fax Number please and real name if you don't mind.
Col. Weierman

We sent Weierman our fax number and did not hear from him so we sent him another email

In a message dated 8/27/2008 11:00:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time, victory.forge@hush.com writes:
so it is fair to say that our source was right. you really don't have a Phd do you? it is from a diploma mill, isn't it? your silence speaks volumes.

alweierman@aol.com writes:
I need a real fax number and a real name please. The fax that you gave is not your fax number. as long as you want to play games I don't trust you.

victory.forge@hush.com writes:
that is where i get all my faxes. you fax me your alleged diploma, i will confirm i received it. i will issue a statement on my blog confirming that you are a legit phd and that the information provided to us is incorrect and malicious. it appears that you are playing games. you send me what we need you get what you want.
fax #: 360-364-3233

We never heard anything from Weierman. Two universities responded to our written queries and Weierman never attended those schools. We have a few more universities remaining. It could be that he did receive his diploma from a diploma mill. Or maybe, like his Col title, the PhD title is something that he decided to confer upon himself.

P.S. We have received a lot of intriguing information from readers, residents, and other well-wishers. Some of them wanted the cash offered by one of our readers (which will be processed once their statements can be corroborated), the others provided this information gratis. More to come.

Letter from one former student

2008-08-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Received an email from a former student. He was ok with us posting this letter (we withheld his name until the appropriate authorities can be contacted). We have received quiet a few letters from former students echoing the same thoughts. We will consolidate and start placing them on the website (which is under construction).

Much has been said about what happened at Victory Children’s Home prior to April 24. As a former enrollee in the academy, I have first hand knowledge and want to inform you and your readers about this. First of all, thank you for bringing the plight of the helpless to the forefront.

My year at VF was nothing short of miserable and torturous. When I read about what POWs endured in foreign countries, I cannot help but think how similar my experience was to theirs. The only difference, I was being tortured in the USA. Many times, food was withheld from me. I was not allowed to go to the bathroom and had to defecate in my pants only to be ridiculed by my instructors and other students (who were forced to do so). I was slapped, hit, beat up in numerous time both by instructors and by my fellow students (again against their will as it was them or me getting beat up).

People will think that the students sent here are bad and that is why this behavior is acceptable to reform our youth. They will also say that this treatment was necessary to break the kids will and build them back up again. All I can say is that kids need love, guidance, and role models, not abuse. Sure, our will was broken down, but it was never rebuilt and we have to live with this scar for the rest of our lives. I visited a psychiatrist for about 1 year after I left the place and I often times still have nightmares about what I endured.

My thought on why this is hard to prove comes down to one word – FEAR. Kids are afraid of the consequences of what will happen to them once they tell the outside world the truth. VF does a great job of telling the parents and others how we will manipulate, deceive, lie – do whatever it takes to get out of our place. Parents, who are emotionally weak at this stage and want their kids to improve, will always believe the academy and the academy will get away with lying to everyone. They can fool all the people all the time, or at least have until now. Also, kids are warned by the instructors not to say anything negative about the place. We are told that the staff will find out about it and then the kids will have to pay the price. When my parents came to take me out, I was forced to tell them all was well with the place and hide the facts that I was being beaten up and abused. I had to do this to survive the place and am assured that others followed the same survival instinct.

Once I found out about what you are trying to do, I decided to help you. I will try and reach out to other former cadets so that they can come out and tell you the truth. My means are limited, but my motivation is high. I am willing to talk to anybody you like.

Thank you for believing in us.

Email from a parent or relative

2008-08-20T07:33:00.001-07:00

Received an email from a parent or relative (the individual did not want to be identified) that he was ok sharing with the general populace. We will be contacting parents on our email lists, but thought it was worth posting as well. Here is the relevant piece of the email:

I have been able to obtain significant amounts of information on the Weiermans, all their kids and their families. Based on the information that has been provided to me, it appears that there are factual inaccuracies between what they have communicated versus the truth. Also, it appears that they are not exactly the model of a well functioning American family and have had episodes in the past that will bring their character, ethics, and intent into question. With that in mind, I am asking for your help in helping me find individuals who can corroborate or dispute the facts that have been provided to me. Once these facts have been vetted, I will be happy to provide them to you or any parent who is dealing with the Weiermans for any reason. And for the inconvenience some families may go through to communicate with you, I am willing to provide monetary compensation for their time at the rate of $50/hour plus actual expenses.

Those interested in helping, contact us. We are still in the process of determining the best way to approach this generous offer, but be assured that your time will be well compensated.

Another Approach

2008-08-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

Now that we are progressing with our task to expose this place, we also need to put pressure on the Board of Victory Forge. We are trying to locate the phone number and emails of the Board members, but if snail mail is your preferred method for communication, you can write to them as well. Make certain you mention that they have the responsibility to look into the workings and accusations of abuse at this establishment. They need to do so independently and with ethical governance standards, which means they need to form their own opinion as 3rd parties and not rely on what is being communicated to them by the Weiermans. David Weierman is also on the Board, but could not locate his address yet. You can write to his parents, who, I am sure will deliver the letters to their son.

Active Members of VF

Michael Roberts
1510 SE 5th St
Stuart, FL 34994

Jack Berger
8544 Malberry Ct
Port St Lucie, FL 34952

Fred Gallo
2261 SW Susset Ln
Port St Lucie, FL 34953

Alan Weierman
(for David Weierman)
1800 Cameo Blvd SW
Port St Lucie, FL 34953

Article From WikiPedia

2008-08-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ran into some interesting information posted on the ever-present Wikipedia (thanks to an email from a reader alerting us to this). Here is the post in its entirety (formatting edits are ours to aid in reading)

Victory Forge Military Academy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victory Forge, located in Port St. Lucie, is a 12 month program which purports to utilize military style components for behavior modification. The target audience is rebellious and troubled adolescent males under the age of 18. The academy is accredited by the National Association of Christian Education ("NACE") [1] . To be accredited by NACE, a school must fill out an application and be associated with a Church. No minimum educational guidelines are provided, although the school states that it follows the State of Florida's minimum educational guidelines when confirring academic credits to their students. The academy has been controversial since its beginning and recent child abuse allegations continue with that trend.

Academy History
The facility was a former children's home founded by convicted child molester, Rev. William Brink of Brinkhaven Homes for Youth, in May 1985. Brink's two sons, Dale and Mark, a daughter, Molly, and her husband, Alan Weierman, were named as corporate officers. In 1992, Alan Weierman changed the name from Victory Children's Home to Treasure Coast Victory Children's Home and filed papers to have the home incorporated in Florida. This was done to distance the school from its convicted founder [2]. In 1993, St. Lucie County commissioners voted to evict the residents of the facility from county property because Weierman refused to seek a state license to operate the shelter for neglected children [3]. Plans to move the facility to another location failed when neighbors opposed it at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The facility then moved to its current location, a 5 bedroom house at 602 Biltmore St. and continues to operate at this location.

Alan Weierman
The President of Victory Forge, often referred to as the Colonel, is Alan Weierman. He claims to have a PhD. in specialized business, a Masters Degree in counseling and Psychology, and is a certified Behavioral Analyst. [4] Although he never achieved a rank of a Colonel in the military, he continues to use that title. The logic is that based on his current role, he is an equivalent of a Colonel.[5] Mr. Weierman was a troubled youth himself. His dad was an alcoholic who supposedly was a very violent man who beat up the family daily. Mr. Weierman's mother died when he was 11. Mr. Weierman has stated that he was an alcoholic by age 10 and was involved with drugs, gangs, and crime. [6]
In 1986, while working at his father-in-laws Brinkhaven Home in Ohio, Mr. Weierman was accused by a 16 year old female resident at the facility that he had sex with her 30 times between August 1985 and June 1986. The police chief of Lawrence Township stated that "his investigation found sufficient probable cause to prosecute Weierman, including a polygraph test given the girl and a calendar she kept of the alleged sexual encounters" [7] Since, there was not sufficient evidence to corroborate the girl's allegations, the charges were ultimately dropped by the City Prosecutor. Summit County Children Services officials contend that Brinkhaven did not inform the authorities of these allegations, a notification required by Ohio law. Instead, when the girl left the facility (two months after the abuse), she complained to her relatives who contacted the police. On October 7, 1986 the prosecutor sent a letter to Summit County Children Services officials explaining why charges were not filed. Their reason "the length of time that had elapsed' between the girl's departure from Brinkhaven and when police were called in". [8]
In 1989, Weierman was charged with obstructing justice for not reporting an allegation of child molestation filed by two girls, against a former director of the school. The charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence beyond a reasonable doubt [9].

Child Abuse Allegations
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)[1], there have been numerous child abuse cases reported against this facility. DCF has investigated 35 prior abuse allegations at Victory Forge [10] , the most recent being on April 24, 2008. At the conclusion of the latest investigation, the DCF stated that they had "serious concerns about the safety and welfare of children". In addition, the DCF stated in their summary report that Victory Forge staff "engaged in physical discipline that is harmful to children, such as choking to unconsciousness, punching, kicking, banging heads into walls and cabinets." DCF officials found enough evidence to determine that a boy had been choked and subjected to bizarre punishment and mental injury, and that other boys had been threatened with harm. Many cases were reported where kids where thrown across tables, heads banged against the wall, choked to the point of passing out, made to eat their own vomit. It had been reported in local media that there had been children found bound in shackles at the facility [11]. DCF also noted staff at the academy, who are not related to Weierman, had a "pattern" of leaving the facility during an investigation. DCF officials used a private investigator to find staff member Justin Reaves, who then told DCF officials he left because of the DCF investigation. He also told DCF he felt abuse was occurring. [12]

Since the parents of students had signed a contract accepting this risk, the DCF could not shut down the establishment. Moreover, since the abuse charges could not be verifed, beyond a reasonable doubt as the wounds were healed or no witnesses existed or witnesses would not talk, criminal charges could not be filed by the State Attorney's office.
In 2002, police reported that students at the academy alleged that "they had been struck with metal pipes and a wooden paddle as methods of punishment" [13] When DCF investigators tried to look into the allegations, staff members would not allow the inspector to go inside, despite a court order allowing the agency to enter the home and interview the children [14].
In 2000, the DCF was on the verge of revoking Victory Forge's state license, but the home surrendered its license without a fight the day a judge was to hear evidence against the facility. The cause of this violation was that officials from the facility left a 17-year old boy at another shelter without advanced notification or arrangements. In addition, the officials allowed a child with a history of sexual offenses to share a bedroom with another boy [15]
The facility is not licensed by any state or Federal agency. The facility has adamantly refused to obtain a license from the state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS)[2] calling it "anti-Christian" [16]. The HRS would provide adequate safeguards to protect the children and accountability of public money.

Closing the Legal Loopholes
On June 25, 2008, the Congress passed the "Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008" [17] to address the issues of child abuse in therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness camps, boot camps, and behavior modification facilities. [18]. The bill will make its way to the Senate after the November elections. The legislation forbid facilities from withholding food and shelter, limiting the use of restraints, and barring deceptive marketing techniques. [19]. Congressional investigations uncovered thousands of allegations of abuse, neglect and youth deaths in private teen behavior modification facilities in the United States. Further, "it was found that, as a direct consequence of a fragmented system where state monitoring and regulatory standards vary from state to state in both scope and reach, dehumanizing practices are being used, sometimes even integrated into the programs ‘therapeutic’ milieu." [20]

The groups which have adamantly supported this legislations include Parents of victims, National mental health organizations, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Children's Residential Centers, American Association of Community Psychiatrists, American Bar Association, American Psychological Association, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Voices for America's Children. [21]

The Florida DCF is looking for ways to close legal loopholes and give DCF the authority to offer more protection to children who are abused in private schools. [22] The Florida Legislators are also being implored by the DCF and concerned parents to take up such a legislation for teen facilities in the State of Florida.

References
^ http://www.victoryhomes.org/fact_sheet.htm
^ "Children's Home May Lose Support", The Palm Beach Post, October 11, 1992, 1B
^ "County May Evict Children's Home", The Palm Beach Post, May 19, 1993, 1B
^ http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/apr/26/state-urges-parents-pull-their-sons-victory-forge-/?feedback=1 Comments posted by Al Weierman
^ Need Source
^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-45186946.html
^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB62DC48FBED71F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
^ Ibid
^ Children's Home May Lose Support", The Palm Beach Post, October 11, 1992, 1B
^ http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jun/14/report-dcf-has-investigated-35-child-abuse-claims-/
^ http://www.federaljack.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1155&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
^ http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jun/14/report-dcf-has-investigated-35-child-abuse-claims-/
^ "Children Tell Police of Abuse at Victory Forge," Palm Beach Post, June 25, 2002, 4B
^ Ibid
^ "Victory Children's Home Gives Up State License", The Palm Beach Post, March 9, 2001, 1C
^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PBPB&p_theme=pbpb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF85725F4DEECE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
^ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110TovoGg::
^ http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/edlabor_dem/rel062508c.html
^ http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jul/23/boot-camps-need-new-rules/
^ http://youthpolicyactioncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=686&nodeID=5&ypacif=capwiz%252Ecom%252Fmobilize%252Fissues%252Falert%252F%253Falertid%253D11385551%2526type%253DCO
^ http://edlabor.house.gov/issues/residentialprograms.shtml
^ http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/12/a10a_victoryforge_edit_0712.html
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Forge_Military_Academy"

Weierman was not in the Military?

2008-08-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

According to Military Personnel Records - this the repository of all military records - Alan Weierman (the self professed COL of Victory Forge) is not really a Colonel. He never achieved that rank, which did not surprise us. What was surprising though was that the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) was "unsuccessful in identifying a military service for" Alan Weierman.

The NPRC needed some specific information to be sure, but their preliminary search did not show that Weierman was in the military.

Alan, want to prove us wrong? Want to prove to us that you indeed are a Colonel and that you indeed were in the Military?

We are not holding our breath as Weierman has what is known as a compulsive lying disorder. Beware.

Rants from Victory Forge's Self Professed Col

2008-07-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a rant, one of many, from Alan Weierman that caught our attention. It was in response to a newspaper article on the DCF investigation back in April 2008. The interesting thing we gained from this tirade was Alan's immaturity - why would parents want to leave their kids with someone like this. Also, he mentioned someone by the name of Paul Hiott who is on the VF Board and running for County Commissioner. So we dug around and found out about Paul. The primaries are next month, and he is running against 3 other individuals. Now parents and children, maybe it is time to give Paul a call. Tell him that we cannot have a sympathizer of VF running for office and that we will not support him. If that does not do it, let's start a campaign to make sure that the voters know what type of institution this man is associated with. I am sure his opponents would be very interested.

Here is the unedited rant (with typos and all)

I am Alan Weierman the commander of Victory Forge. To those of you who have questions you are welcome to call me at 879-7181. I will gladly explain the resoning that we use. First let me give my credentials. I hold a Ph.D. in specialized business, a Masters Degree in counseling and Psychology, and am a certified Behavioral Analyst. I have 29 years working in the field of child care and youth services. I am a past Vice Chairman of the Human Rights Advocay Commitee as well as the Statewide Human Rights Council. I am a member in good standing of the American Council of Social Workers.
The youth that was shackled was a habitual offender. He had not aquired enough points to be placed in the Juvenile System, however his mom wanted him to get help.
The youth was shackled due to excessive running away. He refused to stay out of the shackles. By that I mean that he was asked several times a day if he was ready to stay in the program. As soon as the shackles came off he would try to run a way or would threaten to run away. Running away is a crime and more importantly it is dangerous.
The youth in this current case ran away, broke into a house and stole a pair of pruning shears. When we caught him he told us he was hurt someone and steal their car. ( Think of someone you love having this thug attack them and steal their car.I think of one of our elderly volunteers here at the Forge.)
When we apprehended him he tried to stab one of my staff with the shears. OFC BYRNE PSLPD was called to the scene by us and could not care less about the break-in or the shears he was concerned about the shackles. (go figure).
Our facility is an open facility. No bars on doors or windows and no locked doors. (Against SLC Fire Codes).I would say to all the ones who are questioning the program this: 97% of our graduates are still drug free, crime free, and being productive citizens 1 year after graduation. Thats the proof that what we do works.
I welcome people to call me. I am leading a charge to change DCF for the good. Our kids need it and so do our families.
To those that think 28,000.00 is alot of money to spend, do the math. 76.00 per day all expenses included.
To the persdon who thinks our kids are scared. I want you to know that you are wrong. Paul Hiott, Saint Lucie County Veterans Services Director and candidate for County Commissioner is one of our Board Members and volunteers. He recently told me of the great comments he gets from the public about our young men... It's not fear you see but well disciplined young men with self control. (I know that you may not recognize it in today's world.OBTW according to DJJ statistics in our District alone there are over 1000 cases of child abuse reported every month!

Contact your Senator or Representative

2008-07-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

A reader has asked that all concerned parents contact these Legislators and demand that Victory Forge be investigated for abusive behavior. In addition, demand that VF not be allowed to hide behind its private school status. Ask that this institution be regulated by the DCF.

Step 1. Call the Legislators named below. Fax or email a letter against VF to them as well.
Step 2. If you are a FL resident, state that. If you are a Republican donor, state that as well.
Step 3. Ask them to close the private school loophole and support the DCF.
Step 4. Ask them to put pressure on Victory Forge and those who run this awful place.
Step5. Repeat.

Once we get a script developed, we will post here so that you can follow the same template. If you have a child who was abused, make sure he talks to these folks as well. All members of the family, friends, co-workers should be making phone calls.

Ken Pruitt
Florida Senator
District 28
Phone (District Office): (772) 344-1140
Phone (District Office): (561) 747-1166
Phone (Tallahassee Offices): (850) 487-5088
Phone (Tallahassee Offices): (850) 487-5229

Gayle B. Harrell
Florida House Representative
District 81
Phone (District Office): (772) 873-6500
Phone (Capitol Office): (850) 488-8749

Tim Mahoney
US Congress
District 16
Phone (D.C. Office): (202) 225-5792
Phone (District Office): (772) 878-3181
Fax: (772) 871-0651

Robert Butterworth, Secretary
The Florida Department of Children and Families
Phone: (850) 487-1111
Fax: (850) 922-2993

Charlie Crist
Office of Governor
Phone: (850) 488-4441
Fax: (850) 487-0801

Victory Forge - Private abuse still abuse

2008-07-13T20:23:00.001-07:00

This is a very apt headline. Just because someone is abused in private or in a private facility, does the government not have any rights to moderate this behavior? All those who want to help us contact legislators to close these loopholes and make facilities like Victory Forge accountable and punishable, please contact us (in confidence).

Here is an article from The Palm Beach Post.

I won't mean help for Victory Forge Military Academy cadets yet, but the Florida Department of Children and Families is looking for ways to close legal loopholes and give DCF the authority to offer more protection to children who are abused in private schools.

Detailed records DCF released about the Port St. Lucie school show that while students were subjected to "bizarre" punishments, shackled and choked, neither the agency nor the Treasure Coast State Attorney's Office had sufficient evidence or authority to act. The agency only recommended that parents remove students from the academy, and prosecutors chose not to file criminal charges. That parents signed release forms approving the school's use of shackles on runaways further complicates matters.

"I've got serious concerns about (Victory Forge)," Assistant DCF Secretary George Sheldon said. "I can't understand if a parent does something to a child that would cause us to remove the child from home, how can the parent contract out that right? And how can a facility avoid state licensure by putting itself in a certain category? I find it incredible we have no authority. We may need legislation to close the loophole." DCF attorneys are reviewing the situation at the state level, he said, and then will begin discussions with state legislators.

Victory Forge's methods became a public matter two months ago, when a runaway cadet was found shackled. The story sparked an investigation of the boot-camp-style school's practices. Before the investigation was complete, DCF urged parents to remove their sons because of the severity of the allegations, and all 17 students left. Both DCF and Port St. Lucie police investigated Victory Forge.

DCF spokesmen said the agency was unable to determine the severity of the alleged choking incident because no medical review was done immediately after it occurred. "With no bruising, no broken bones and no video," Mr. Sheldon said, law enforcement has little to go on. But a student's chance of getting a medical review in such a situation seem remote at best.
"Parents are the kids' only recourse," Mr. Sheldon admits, adding that under existing laws the state can't step in to save an abused child who is in this type of private school. Since the parents opted out of their responsibility in the Victory Forge case, the state must find a way to assert its responsibility to protect children.

David Weierman

2008-06-25T10:42:00.001-07:00

One individual, the son of Alan and Molly Weierman, has also been accused of abusing the students at Victory Forge. We are in the process of finding out additional information on both David and Jonathan Weierman. If you happen to have any information, please send it to us.

The picture above shows David with his son, Seth.

Now here is a question for you David -

How would you feel if someone physically and mentally abused that sweet little child that you have?

How would you feel if someone molested him and everybody looked the other way?

Well that is what you and your folks at VF have been accused of doing.

Summary of Some DCF Findings - Victory Forge

2008-06-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

A DCF report summarizing the case was made public after The Palm Beach Post and Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers filed a joint lawsuit petitioning to make it public. Here are some findings from that report:

1. DCF officials found enough evidence to determine that a boy had been choked and subjected to bizarre punishment and mental injury, and that other boys had been threatened with harm.

2. Many cases were reported where kids where thrown across tables, heads banged against the wall, choked to the point of passing out, made to eat their own vomit.

3. DCF also noted staff at the academy, who are not related to Weierman, had a “pattern” of leaving the facility during an investigation. {Note: David and Jon Weierman also work at this school, as "enforcers". These are the sons of Alan and Molly Weierman}.

4. DCF officials used a private investigator to find staff member Justin Reaves, who then told DCF officials he left because of the DCF investigation. He told DCF he felt abuse was occurring.

35 investigated cases of Child Abuse - where there is smoke, there is fire.

2008-06-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

DCF has investigated 35 child-abuse claims at Victory Forge Military Academy
By Keona Gardner (Contact), Will Greenlee Saturday, June 14, 2008

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Since 1994, the state Department of Children and Families investigated 35 prior child abuse allegations against Victory Forge Military Academy, according to an investigative summary released late Friday afternoon.

At the request of a lawyer for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and the Palm Beach Post, Circuit Judge Ben Bryan made public a 12-page summary of DCF investigations of child abuse at Victory Forge Military Academy, a private school for troubled teenage boys. The final summary redacted the names of children mentioned in the summary and some details of incidents.
Earlier this week, DCF announced it had completed its most recent investigation into the school and had “serious concerns about the safety and welfare of children” at the facility. DCF investigators asked parents in late April to remove their children from the school while they looked into a child abuse claim involving a student who ran away in shackles.

However, a police investigation and review by state prosecutors that concluded this week found no criminal activity at Victory Forge.

Col. Alan Weierman, the academy’s commanding officer, could not be reached for comment late Friday. He earlier said the academy did nothing wrong and said three students have since returned to the school, with more than two dozen parents sending applications for enrollment after the incident became public.

Victory Forge attorney Robert Stone opposed making the DCF investigative summary public to protect the privacy of students.

“We’re putting out a report about children who are not here to be heard,” Stone said about Victory Forge students, who were not in the courtroom Friday. Bryan ultimately disagreed, but he declined to rule Friday on whether the underlying incident reports should be made public. He instead allowed for the newspapers to request a second hearing on the matter.

On Friday, the Port St. Lucie Police Department also released more than 100 pages of police records it accumulated in the case, which led to detectives finding there was no criminal activity at the facility. DCF and PSLPD police began investigating Victory Forge after a student ran away April 6 and was found hours later in shackles at St. Lucie West Middle School.
The child “appeared very upset and on the verge of tears,” a report said. “Please take me to jail, I don’t want to go back,” the boy is quoted as saying.

The Victory Forge student said he’d been beaten and choked by employees, forced to eat “stuff” — a combination of vegetables, barbecue sauce and spices — and shackled for nearly two weeks. Weierman denied the abuse to police and described the “stuff” as “healthy food that just tastes bad,” according to the DCF summary.

Assistant State Attorney Jeff Hendriks said in a memo released Tuesday even though a student was in shackles for about 12 days “there is nothing that rises to the level of criminal activity at this point.”

Victory Forge has adopted state Department of Juvenile Justice policies in terms of restraining juveniles, using restraints to “secure juveniles that pose a threat of running away” as opposed to using them as punishment. While Victory Forge violated the Department of Juvenile Justice shackling policies, it wasn’t a criminal matter, Hendriks wrote.

Although nothing criminal was found, DCF officials said they still had serious concerns, according to the summary.

“This case will be closed with verified findings of threatened harm, mental injury, physical injury, bizarre punishment and asphyxiation,” the summary said. “This facility is registered with the Department of Education but is privately run.”

According to the summary, Victory Forge staff “engaged in physical discipline that is harmful to children, such as choking to unconsciousness, punching, kicking, banging heads into walls and cabinets.”

The summary listed the names of 18 students, whose names were redacted to protect their privacy, who in 2004 DCF officials found had “some indicators of physical injury.”
DCF also noted staff at the academy, who are not related to Weierman, had a “pattern” of leaving the facility during an investigation.

For example, DCF officials used a private investigator to find staff member Justin Reaves, who then told DCF officials he left because of the DCF investigation. Although he told DCF he felt abuse was occurring, he denied all abuse claims made against him and would not specify any responsible party.

Tuition is about $28,000 a year and parents are given a contract and manual describing possible discipline, according to Hendrik’s memo. According to the summary, many parents said Weierman “misrepresented the practices of his facility.”
Weierman has previously said the academy tries to instill discipline in teenage boys and instructs them that if they run, they will be shackled.

“There is no abuse here. It’s a tough program. It’s made to be tough,” Weierman said in a past interview.

Make the report public!! If there is nothing to hide, why is Stone confusing the issue with lame comments. Weierman, make the documents public, and let the people decide for themselves.

If you had a black kid like that ....

2008-06-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

"If you had a black kid like that you would put him in handcuffs also."

So said Alan Weierman when confronted by the Police on the use of shackles on children.

He also went on to threaten the police, and I am surprised that the coppers are afraid of this man as well. I quote: "You're wasting my time call the (expletive) chief"

Do you really want this angry and bitter man teaching your children about self-respect and discipline.

More to follow...

Appeal to Parent of Victory Forge

2008-06-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Let's compile a list of stories and statements made to us by the Colonel and his wife. They have obviously not told us the entire truth about their past or what has been going on at the academy.

We can then communicate this information to all parents who intend to enroll the children into VF so that they can be fore-warned.

It's been a see-saw

2008-06-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

First came news that the DCF had "serious concerns about the safety and welfare of children" who enrolled at the Victory Forge Military Academy. Then came news that the State Attorney's Office has decided not to pursue criminal charges against the academy. To those not familiar with the ways of the criminal justice system, the the burden of proof would be on the State Attorney to prove that the Colonel and his minions were guity beyond a reasonable doubt - something not easy to do in a system that is as opaque as Victory Forge. So in the end, VF lives to fight another day, but this time there will be people like us keeping them honest and telling the world of their escapades.

Port St. Lucie Victory Forge Military Academy for troubled boys out of trouble
By Will Greenlee Wednesday, June 11, 2008

PORT ST. LUCIE — The State Attorney's Office has decided not to pursue criminal charges against the operators of the Victory Forge Military Academy, a private school for troubled teenage boys, after reviewing a police investigation that began after a student ran away from the facility in shackles.

Assistant State Attorney Jeff Hendriks said in a memo released Tuesday that even though the student was in shackles for about 12 days "there is nothing that rises to the level of criminal activity at this point."

State Department of Children and Families investigators asked parents in late April to remove their children from the school while they looked into a child abuse claim, and three have since returned.

Victory Forge has adopted state Department of Juvenile Justice policies in terms of restraining juveniles, employing restraints to "secure juveniles that pose a threat of running away" as opposed to using them as punishment. Hendriks wrote while Victory Forge violated the Department of Juvenile Justice shackling policies, it wasn't a criminal matter.

Alan Weierman, Victory Forge commanding officer, said Victory Forge officials allow enrollees to have their shackles removed by asking. In the referenced case, the teen was asked that the shackles be taken off, but when Victory Forge officials asked if he'd run if they were removed, he said yes. This, Weierman said, is why the shackles were not removed.

The youth eventually ran away with the shackles on and got more than three miles away before Victory Forge staff members found him and called police.

There also wasn't enough probable cause to support allegations of a battery. Hendriks stated it would be difficult to prove another alleged case of battery in which the same student was reportedly "touched on the face with residue that has been wiped from the toilet area."
After DCF completed its probe into Victory Forge, DCF Circuit 19 Administrator Vern Melvin said, "We have concerns about the safety of the children there." The findings are confidential by state law, and while Melvin said there were several other reported victims of alleged abuse at Victory Forge, he declined to elaborate.

In spite of the allegations, Victory Forge sent out about 30 applications to parents who've requested them after seeing the recent news coverage, Weierman said.
"We're going to continue forward," Weierman said. "There is no abuse here. It's a tough program. It's made to be tough."

DCF Report

2008-06-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

The Florida DCF is in the process of releasing their report of the investigation undertaken on the abuse allegation at Victory Forge. Although information is sparse, we will provide details as soon as we get a hold of one of these reports. In either case, should make an interesting read.

CHILDREN'S HOME MIGHT LOSE LICENSE FROM STATE

2008-06-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

COPYRIGHT 2000 The Palm Beach Post
Jim Reeder, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Victory Children's Home could lose its license as a shelter for abused and neglected children if a complaint from the state Department of Children and Families is upheld.

District 15 Administrator Vern Melvin is reviewing his staff's recommendation to revoke Victory's license because of alleged rules violations in its dealings with two boys at the shelter on Biltmore Street.

"Melvin said he'll delay the action for 10 days while he reviews the complaint," said Dr. Alan Weierman, president of Victory Children's Home. "That's all I've asked, is for someone with logic and common sense to look at it."

Melvin did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday.

Melvin's staff urged in a Nov. 16 complaint that Victory's state license be revoked because it abandoned a 17-year-old boy in the parking lot of another shelter and failed to protect residents from an 11-year-old the department said is a danger to others.

Weierman instructed a staff member to leave the 17-year-old in the parking lot of Wave Crest, a shelter operated by the Children's Home Society, according to the state's complaint.

Weierman denied giving such instructions but said Wave Crest would not accept the boy if its staff knew he had threatened Victory's personnel.

"He was threatening my staff and refused to follow the rules," Weierman said. "We had to get him out of here. They said we failed to do a prerelease plan."

Weierman said the 11-year-old attempted to involve another boy and two girls in a sex game of "truth or dare" in January.

Six months later, state officials asked Weierman to sign a "family safety agreement" calling for close supervision and other steps to ensure sexual activity wasn't repeated.

State officials said the boy should have a bedroom separate from other children.

"If the child is a danger to others, why did they wait six months?" Weierman said. "There have been no other complaints about him."

He said staff members check on the boy's activities every 30 minutes during the day and every 15 minutes after bedtime.

Victory Children's Home moved to Biltmore Street in 1993 after St. Lucie County evicted it from a building on Selvitz Road because it lacked a state license.

Weierman said no license was needed because the home was affiliated with a religious organization.

But Weierman obtained a state license about a year ago, and six of 12 children there are under state supervision.

Those children would be removed and no more state money would be paid if the license was
revoked.

History littered with abuse and shady behavior.

CHILDREN TELL POLICE OF ABUSE AT VICTORY

2008-06-01T09:25:00.001-07:00

The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, FL) (June 25, 2002)

Byline: Nirvi Shah, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

PORT ST. LUCIE -- About a year after Victory Children's Home surrendered its state license while under fire from state welfare officials for violating rules for caring for children, youths staying at the home for abused and troubled teens accused their caretakers of abusing them, according to a police report.

Some of the 15 children now staying at the home at 602 S.W. Biltmore St. told police Friday "they had been struck with metal pipes and a wooden paddle as methods of punishment. . . . Shackles were used if children attempted or had 'thoughts' of running away from the home."
The home's president, Alan Weierman, and several members of the board of directors could not be reached for comment Monday. No charges have been filed, but police and the Department of Children and Families are investigating the allegations.

When a DCF investigator tried to look into the allegations on Friday, staff members would not allow her to go inside, despite a court order allowing the agency to enter the home and interview the children, according to the police report.

Weierman eventually allowed the investigator to question youth at the home but only under conditions the DCF investigator found unacceptable. So police took all 15 children to the police station, questioned them, then released them to their parents. More than one youth made the accusation, police spokesman Chuck Johnson said.

Victory Children's Home works with children of all ages up to 17 who have behavior problems that are the result of abuse, neglect and drug and alcohol addiction. It also hosts a residential boot camp-like program that, according to its Web site, will push boys' bodies to their limits. Boys spend hours in the home's physical training area. They may not call home for the first two weeks after joining the program.

"Your son may complain to you about unbearable pain, crying that it's too hard. DON'T BE FOOLED!" the site states. Photographs on the site show young men wearing fatigues crawling in the sand and crossing shallow water walking on narrow logs.

"You've come to the right place for help for your daughter or son," writes Weierman in a message to people thinking about using Victory Children's Home. "Our professional staff work hard to insure that your confidence in us is never betrayed and I personally pledge the very best therapeutic care available. You will find our methods unconventional and unorthodox. Our expectations are very high, but I know that you will be very pleased with the progress you see in your child over the course of their stay with us."

Although the state no longer licenses the home, the Web site states it is a member of the Florida Association of Christian Child Caring Agencies, National Association of Christian Child Care Agencies and the Florida Coalition for Children. The Department of Children and Families no longer refers children to the home, spokeswoman Betty Robinson said.

Victory Children's Home opened in Fort Pierce in 1984, then moved to Port St. Lucie in 1993. Weierman has been president since 1987.

In a 2000 complaint, DCF wrote that that Victory officials left a 17-year-old alone in the parking lot at another children's shelter run by the Children's Home Society. Another alleged violation involved allowing an 11-year-old with a history of sexual offenses to share a bedroom with another child. The home surrendered its license without a hearing about six months after the complaint was filed and as the license was set to be revoked.

Victory Forge Abuse Allegation

2008-06-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, FL) (June 26, 2002)
Byline: Nirvi Shah, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

PORT ST. LUCIE -- When a single mother from Lake Worth enrolled her son at Victory Children's Home more than a year ago, she was delighted by the thought her unruly, disobedient son would be surrounded by other boys in a structured, Christian environment.

"I wanted him to be around other Christians and learn about the Word," said the woman, who did not want to be identified. "We knew it was going to be kind of strict. . . . (But) I felt safe. I slept at night."
For a while it seemed the regimen was working. Then, she said, something changed. The home began its boot-camp-like program that tested her son's and other boys' physical limits.

On Friday some of the youths living there with the woman's son told police they had been hit with metal pipes and wooden paddles and shackled if they tried to run away. Port St. Lucie police and Department of Children and Families investigators took all 15 teens staying at the home for abused and troubled teens and released them to their parents, pending the outcome of an investigation.

The case may be turning cold, however.

"It does not appear right now that the other children substantiated any of the allegations," Port St. Lucie police spokesman Chuck Johnson said Tuesday, although he said Monday that more than one child made the allegations. Police and DCF still are investigating, however.
Victory Children's Home President Alan Weierman did not return several phone calls placed Monday and Tuesday.

The Lake Worth mother said while she notices improvements in her son - he's more obedient, polite and smarter - after hearing from him how the program has changed in the last few months, she is glad he is home and wouldn't want to send him back.

"I just don't feel comfortable," she said. "I don't know if I'm putting him in danger."

DCF was on the verge of revoking Victory's state license in 2000, but the home surrendered its license without a fight about a year ago. DCF no longer places children at the home.

Then DCF said in its 2000 complaint that Victory officials abandoned a 17-year-old at another children's shelter run by the Children's Home Society without advance arrangement. Another alleged violation involved allowing an 11-year-old with a history of sexual offenses to share a bedroom with another child.

On the Victory Children's Home Web site, it says the home is a member of the Florida Coalition for Children. However the group said Tuesday Victory is no longer eligible because it is not licensed by the state.

This 2002 incident seems very similar to the current incident, doesn't it? The kids who did not substantiate the allegations were afraid back then, as they are right now, to speak out against the Colonel and his employees. It is simple - most of these kids know that they are going back and if they say something against the program, no matter how truthful, they will pay the price back in school. So they clam up in fear.

So Who is Alan Weierman

2008-06-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

The person who runs Victory Forge Military Academy is an unknown entity to most parents. He is a self-proclaimed Colonel and a Phd. Based on interviews with former employees, we have the following facts for you.

1. Worked as an employee, at a now defunct youth home, called Brinkhaven. The founder, William Brink was charged with sexual abuse and imprisoned. Brink's daughter is Molly Weierman who is married to Alan Weierman. So a checkered professional history to start.
Note: The Rev. William Brink didn't find just a wife among the residents of his Brinkhaven Homes for Youth. He also found a daughter. Both the wife and the daughter say Brink, sexually abused them, and their allegations are being investigated by the Stark County Sheriff's Department. Richard Tobias, a former member of the Brinkhaven board of trustees, said he gave local police copies of statements detailing allegations of sexual abuse written by 16-year-old Kathryn Brink. A Stark County jury took less than 2 1/2 hours, to find the Rev. William Brink guilty of sexually abusing two former residents of Brinkhaven, the home for troubled youths he founded in Lawrence Township. At this point, we are unsure if Molly is Brink's biological daughter.

2. Alan Weierman met Molly at this facility while he was incarcerated at the facility for being a troubled child himself.

3. While working at the facility, Alan had several abuse allegations levied against him. The most promising one was when a girl charged that she had sex with Alan Weierman, a Brinkhaven staff member, more than 30 times between August 1985 and June 1986. She was a minor at the time, while Alan was an adult.

4. Victory Forge was an offshoot of the Brinkhaven home. This was taken over by the daughter of the founder after Brinkhaven declared bankruptcy as a result of its founder going to jail on sexual abuse charges.

5. So Alan and Molly did not start Victory Homes as they so often have claimed.

Open questions for Alan Weierman:

1. Why do you call yourself a Colonel, when you are not one?
2. Where did you get your PhD?

More to follow.....

Shackled teen 'was running for his life'

2008-06-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

By ANA X. CERON
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 02, 2008

PORT ST. LUCIE — When her son ran away the first time from Victory Forge Military Academy, she thought she understood why.

It was a strict place, there was discipline and rules, she thought. Maybe he wasn't used to it.

But when he fled again from the boot camp-style boarding school - this time in leg shackles - the woman says she knew something was wrong.

The 16-year-old Port St. Lucie boy said "he was running for his life," his mother, who declined to give her name or his, said Friday.

Academy staff found the boy and called the police. Port St. Lucie officers who responded saw the boy wearing the shackles.

Police questioned whether using the leg restraints was legal, said Victory Forge school commander Alan Weierman. So police decided to contact the Department of Children and Families, he said.

As a result, both police and DCF are investigating whether the use of the shackles was child abuse.

Although police officials say they can't discuss the case because it is still open, the case has been forwarded to the state attorney's office for review, a spokesman said.

DCF officials also declined to discuss their investigation.

But DCF did contact parents last week informing them of the accusation and telling them to remove their sons from the school.

By Monday afternoon, all 16 boys had left the academy.

Weierman says the shackles are not abuse. They're used only to restrain the boys and are removed as soon as the student agrees not to run away again. The head of the academy also says parents are told what they could expect if their son ever ran away - he would be placed in shackles, and an extra three months would be tacked on to the 12-month commitment they make when they enroll their teen.

But the mother of the Port St. Lucie boy says she never knew her son was being shackled. She learned about the restraints, she says, when her son was found in early April.

By that time, Weierman has said, the boy had been wearing shackles on and off for 10 days.
The teen's mother called the shackles "child abuse" during an interview Friday.

"To shackle a kid, hey, that's abuse," she said.

The woman said she sent her son to the academy because, as a single mother, she was looking for a way to discipline the boy after he had been showing her disrespect.

A friend of hers suggested Victory Forge and since the boy had expressed an interest in one day joining the military, she believed the academy would be a good experience, she said.
The teen's first day at the school was Feb. 26. He ran away about two weeks later.

At the time, she thought he wasn't used to the discipline. Then the boy called and told her he had been called names, including a racial slur.

The mother says the boy returned after she talked with the school. But during his return, she says, she began having regrets.

The woman says she was about to pull her son out of the school when police contacted her on April 6 asking whether she had seen the teen. He had run away again, police said.

When she discovered her son had been shackled, she began to regret making him go back to the academy.

"Right there and then, I felt so guilty putting him there," she said. "It really hurt."

She says the boy later told her that while at the school he had also been punched in the face and choked.

The woman said she and her son both gave statements to police about their allegations. She says she's now talking with attorneys to fight the contract requiring her to pay the academy the rest of the $28,600 she agreed to pay for her son's enrollment.

On Friday, Weierman said the woman's claim that she didn't know about the shackles is a lie. He denies that the teen was ever punched or choked. Had it happened, he would have called police, Weierman said.

"To my knowledge, that never took place," he said.

Weierman says the mother is making the allegations because she wants to back out of her contract with the school. "To me, it's rather suspicious and convenient," he said.

But the woman says she's concerned about what happened to her son. "As a parent, as a mother, I'm still angry," she said. "I'm upset."

There have been several other students who have claimed that they were punched and choked by a certain employee of VF. The students could not bring it to antibody's attention for fear of reprisal and the vindictiveness of the Colonel.

ARE THERE OTHER PARENTS OUT THERE WITH SIMILAR STORIES? If so, please contact us so that we can start civil or criminal proceedings. In addition, we want to present a united front to the Florida State's Attorney.

Shackled 'students'?

2008-06-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Palm Beach Post Editorial
Thursday, May 01, 2008

Whatever parents might have agreed to regarding treatment at Victory Forge Military Academy, a Port St. Lucie boot camp-style boarding school for boys, the state is correct to offer a second opinion.

A city police officer saw a 16-year-old runaway from the school shackled in chains. Police notified the Florida Department of Children and Families, which asked parents to pick up their sons. The school remains closed while the agency investigates, which a spokeswoman said could take until early June.

Since 2000, city police have visited Victory Forge to check on three complaints of child abuse, one complaint of sexual activity between students and at least 12 runaways. An investigation in 2004 found no truth in allegations that the staff severely beat a boy. Detectives praised the academy staff for hospitalizing the boy despite his parents' objections. The boy had early-stage kidney failure, which doctors said could have been caused by dehydration and rigorous exercise.
Victory Forge's board president and commander, Alan Weierman, acknowledged that the school uses shackles. He said the school follows Florida Department of Juvenile Justice restraint policies. School officials remove the restraints if a student agrees not to run away again. Also, parents are told when they register their sons that the academy uses restraints on runaways.

As a spokesman noted, however, DJJ is not a school; it deals with young criminals. Victory Forge is a nonprofit registered as a private military academy, operating on donations and charging $28,600 for a one-year residential treatment program. Its "tough love" approach emphasizes structure, military-style discipline, physical training and "behavioral redirection."

When the Port St. Lucie officer saw the 16-year-old runaway in restraints, the school commander said, "No one knew if it was legal ... or if it was child abuse." Mr. Weierman complains that the state wants to shut down his school by removing the students. But Martin County Sheriff Robert Crowder, who ran a successful boot camp until lack of state money forced it to close, said that his operation did not routinely use shackles. "We'd have to have violence before we'd do anything like that ... If you're trying to encourage kids in the right direction, to overuse (shackles) could drive them in the opposite direction."

Anyone who has children can empathize with desperate parents. But the state has a responsibility to see that schools like Victory Forge deliver what they promise to relieve that desperation.

The Colonel has allegedly removed one of his employees who physically abused the cadets. What we need to ask is if that is enough or does the program need to take responsibility and come clean. The editorial is a worthwhile read although no new information is offered.

Police found teenage boy in shackles

2008-06-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

By ANA X. CERON and TERESA LANE
Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
Friday, April 25, 2008

PORT ST. LUCIE — The Department of Children and Families told parents of boys at a boot camp-type boarding school to remove them this week after police found one of the boys shackled, according to the school's leader.

Victory Forge Military Academy's board president and school commander, Alan Weierman, acknowledged Friday that the school uses shackles to restrain runaways and that an investigation was launched when a Port St. Lucie police officer saw a 16-year-old runaway being restrained.

"No one knew if it was legal ... or if it was child abuse," Weierman said.
Weierman said the school follows the same restraining procedures used by the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The restraints, Weierman said, are removed as soon as the student requests it and agrees not to run away again. Typically that lasts from two to 24 hours, Weierman said.

But the Port St. Lucie teen was shackled on and off for 10 days, sometimes wearing only steel ankle shackles and at others wearing wrist and ankle restraints, Weierman said. The restraints were removed when the boy showered, attended class and during other periods.

The teen's mother knew that he was being shackled and approved of it, Weierman said.
"She called us every day to see how her son was doing," he said.
Weierman did not reveal the woman's name and she could not be reached for comment.

Weierman said police contacted DCF on April 7. The school notifies police when one of its students runs away, Weierman said.

DCF officials have contacted parents about an abuse allegation, spokeswoman Ellen Higineotham said, but she would not reveal what it involved because DCF's investigation was not complete. Higineotham also said officials had suggested parents pick up the students within 24 hours. If parents left a child at the facility, Higineotham said the agency would find a safe place for him, including temporary shelter with relatives or, if needed, state custody. As of early Friday evening, three of the school's 16 students remained.

Port St. Lucie police spokesman Robert Vega confirmed the department is investigating an abuse allegation but couldn't say whether it involved the use of shackles.

Weierman explained that he kept shackling the teen, who had run away before, because the teen showed potential for success and he wanted the boy to change his mind on his own.

The school head now believes that DCF wants to shut down the school by removing the students.
Higineotham said the agency's investigation is expected to be complete about the first week of June.

If the agency deems that the use of the shackles is abuse, Weierman said he would appeal the decision. He said the restraints were necessary to keep the boys - many of whom come to the school because of behavioral problems or because they have been involved with crime - from the streets, where they could land in trouble.

Parents are told that the school restrains runaways when they register their child, Weierman said.

Andrew Banks, whose 15-year-old has been in the school for 15 months, praised the school for changing his son for the better and said he would approve of placing him under shackles if he ran away.

"I understand how those kids are; defiance is a nice word for it," he said.

Police have responded to three complaints of child abuse, one complaint of sexual activity between students and at least 12 runaways from Victory Forge since 2000, records show.
While Detective Teresa Dennis was investigating claims that staff had severely beaten a boy in July 2004 - claims that later were unfounded - Dennis said parents of other recruits began calling for information, saying they had been told by DCF investigators that their children were in danger.

Dennis and another detective interviewed 19 boys at the academy in 2004, and each said the alleged victim fell on purpose and forced himself to throw up.

In her report, Dennis praised Weierman and staff member Travis Plummer, saying their insistence on taking the boy to a hospital despite his mother's reluctance to have him leave the boot camp may have saved his life. Doctors later diagnosed him with early-stage kidney failure they said could have been caused by rigorous exercise and dehydration.

Although the boy claimed he was denied adequate food and water, others testified that wasn't true.

Victory Forge is a nonprofit organization, taking donations and charging $28,600 for a one-year, residential treatment program.

Weierman concedes his methods are unorthodox, but claims success with more than 97 percent of his recruits.

Before Weierman converted the program to an all-boys military academy, it was a shelter for victims of child abuse and neglect. Weierman was charged with failing to report child abuse and obstructing justice in 1989 when the former director of the facility - then called Victory Children's Home - was arrested on charges he molested three girls at the home. Charges against Weierman and the former director, Ken Beck, were dismissed a few months later.

Questions:

1. Are all parents told when their kids are shackled? The answer is a resounding NO. Kids were shackled without knowledge of several parents.

2. Have there been other charges made against the Col and others in the school? The answer is yes. More details will follow.

3. Why did the students then claim that Victory Forge has done nothing wrong? The answer is one word - FEAR. The cadets fear reprisal from the Colonel and his staff if word got out that they were telling people the truth. We are looking for former cadets of the school who would be willing to tell us the truth.