Help reunite me with my children!

I am a veteran who served 23 years in the Marine Corps and Navy. I was on the ground in Desert Storm and served three tours in Afghanistan. I have had no physical contact with my three children in almost a year. My communications are limited to 30-minute Skype calls on Sunday evenings. My ex-wife gave me primary physical custody of two of my kids, who I raised for over a year during the pandemic by myself, prior to the first custody trial last year. 

I have spent over $160K in legal fees for my divorce and two custody trials. I contacted the VA, family service organizations, law firms, and advocacy groups for help with no luck. I have reached out to family and friends for assistance. I have leverage all possible means and now ask for help outside my network.

I have exhausted all legal and financial means possible. I have enrolled in mental health treatment, completed a fourteen week parenting class, and undergone a forensic psychological evaluation to reunite me with my kids. The entire time my ex-wife made no efforts to co-parent and continued to harass me--using threats, intimidation, and litigation to cause extreme stress and anxiety. I can honestly say that the past 18 months have been the darkest of my life.

There was never any physical or emotional abuse during the marriage or separation. However, I was forced to surrender my guns, because my ex-wife claimed that I was a threat to her. And today I was served with a Rule to Show Cause claiming that I violated the divorce decree and custody order. I have to remove my ex-wife from the mortgage and secure a home equity line of credit, which has taken longer than expected, to pay my bills. In addition, I have to pay over $55K for my ex-wife's legal fees due to the judge's ruling.

The judge who ruled on the case showed extreme bias and actually told the opposing lawyer to file a motion to strike, resulting in no change in visitation and additional legal fees. His daughter was murdered several years ago by her male college roommate and he has issued some of the most egregious ruling since.

 

My children are suffering from an abusive ex-wife who wants to isolate me from the children forever. I was not able to speak with them on Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, or their birthdays. They had to google me on Veteran's Day--finding pictures of me from Desert Storm. She constantly monitors and frequently ends my Skype calls without justification. My only recourse it to text the kids and tell them that I love them, which is in violation of the court order.

This comes at a difficult time for everyone. Inflation is at over 8%, gas is over $5 a gallon, and people are struggling to make ends meet. I am embarrassed to ask for help, but my kids are the single most important thing in my life. They mean the world to me and your contribution will help reunite me with them.