Wisconsin's "Green Alert" for veterans gains national traction

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A local congresswoman is pushing for a system to help at-risk veterans go national. 

The "Green Alert" system was passed at the state level after Milwaukee veteran Corey Adams went missing and was later found dead. 

This year, Wisconsin became the only state in the nation to have an alert system created specifically for missing or at-risk veterans. But Corey Adams' family and Congresswoman Gwen Moore don't want to stop there. 

Corey Adams family says Memorial Day is difficult for them, after his disappearance in March 2017.

“He just left my parents home," Corey's sister Carmen said. "And my dad went to file a police report. They wouldn’t label him critically missing for eight days.”

That’s because Adams didn’t fit any criteria for a public alert, despite being a veteran diagnosed with PTSD and bipolar disorder. He was found deceased in a lagoon 18 days later.

“I was thoroughly upset about that," Corey's mother Gwendolyn said. "And I said, you know what, we’re going to have to do something about that.”

They took the issue to Wisconsin Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee. State lawmakers responded by creating a special "Green Alert." It's just like Silver or Amber Alerts, which put law enforcement on a missing person case earlier and alert the public. The Green Alert is specifically for at-risk veterans.

“It’s a small, but hopefully a significant piece that we as lawmakers can do for the men and women who served this country,” said Wisconsin Rep. Daniel Riemer, D-Milwaukee.

The Adams family didn’t stop.

The contacted U.S. Representatives Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, and Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, who are now pushing the same system in Washington.

“Even soldiers who did not die in action on the battlefield can be lost when they come home, and we should leave no soldier behind,” Moore said.

Adams family says they’re proud he’s part of history, and it would mean even more if he could inspire the green alert across the country.

“I just want him to know I love him, and I miss him, and he’s my hero.”

The Corey Adams Searchlight Act was introduced into Congress on Wednesday.