[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 165 (Friday, November 6, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       COMMEMORATING VETERANS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 6, 2009

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Veterans Day 
and applaud the commitment and work of this Congress and President 
Obama to meet the needs of America's 23.4 million military veterans. 
Nearly 400,000 veterans call the great state of Minnesota home and we 
are proud of them, our friends and neighbors. As a Member of Congress 
and the daughter of a World War II veteran, I believe I have a duty to 
honor the men and women who have so courageously served our country by 
investing in expanding educational opportunities, health care services, 
and access to good jobs for our nation's veterans.
  Increasingly, I have become particularly concerned about the mental 
health issues, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 
traumatic brain injury (TBI), that afflict our warriors who are now 
home from Iraq and Afghanistan. PTSD and TBI have claimed too many 
lives and caused too much hardship among the families of veterans. 
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, service members 
responding to mental health questions when they return from Iraq and 
Afghanistan show that about 19 percent of service members from Iraq 
have a mental health problem, while about 11 percent from Afghanistan 
have a mental health problem. Too often the unseen wounds suffered by 
veterans, as a result of PTSD and TBI, remain untreated until a crisis 
or tragedy occurs for the veteran or their loved ones. Illnesses 
related to substance abuse, suicide prevention, and homelessness 
prevention for our veterans are often directly related to psychological 
trauma. I believe it is critical to support the expanded efforts by the 
Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure 
our soldiers understand clearly that mental health services and help 
are available if, and when, they need them.
  On this Veterans Day, I am very proud to live in a country that so 
values its veterans. My commitment and my prayers are with the millions 
of veterans and their families who we owe a tremendous debt of 
gratitude.

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