(People) - A judge who sentenced a fellow veteran to jail was so concerned about the decorated soldier's wellbeing that he served the man's sentence right alongside him.
Gulf War veteran Lou Olivera, a district court judge who presides over the Veterans Treatment Court in Cumberland County, North Carolina, sentenced retired Green Beret Joe Serna to spend the night in jail for a probation violation earlier this month.
"He did his duty," Serna tells PEOPLE. "He sentenced me. It was his job to hold me accountable. But what he did next," Serna continues, "it sounds like I'm making it up – and I'm not."
Judge Olivera persuaded another veteran, the jailer, to allow him to "stay in the foxhole" overnight with Serna.
"He is a judge, but that night, he was my battle buddy," Serna says. "He knew what I was going through. As a warrior, he connected."
Talk about having your six. Judge Olivera is a nice reminder of what a piece of shit that I am. He served his country during a war only to become a judge while I spent roughly an hour today complaining that my cable went out because of rain.
The judge in him did his duty as did the soldier and man. Also, hat tip to the other former vet who allowed Judge Olivera to have Serna's back. We need more men like the Judge.
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