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Get Marty: Veteran's Mother Pleads For Help For Her Son

SEWICKLEY (KDKA) -- The mother of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran in an emergency situation reached out to KDKA's Get Marty.

"The Marines broke my son. Now I'd like them to fix him," says Maureen Valenzi.

Ian Valenzi served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan. The Sewickley native returned home with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a heroin addiction.

"I was in trouble. I was in a bad place. I could have hurt myself," says Ian.

Ian tried to get help at the VA and became extremely frustrated. He sat in the waiting area for 14 hours.

"I had enough," Ian said.

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Maureen reached out to Get Marty on a day she was worried her son would hurt himself.

"I didn't know what to do. I had to call you," says Maureen.

KDKA'S Marty Griffin reached out to the director of the VA who got Ian immediate help.

In fact, Ian is now in a specialized treatment program at the VA. He will be there four and a half months.

"They saved my life. If I didn't come here, I may have been dead," says Ian.

We will keep an eye on the veteran's progress and let you know how he's doing.

If you'd like Marty to help you solve your problem, email him at GetMarty@kdka.com.

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