[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 66 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3089-S3090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 455--DESIGNATING JUNE 27, 2012, AS ``NATIONAL POST-
TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AWARENESS DAY''
Mr. CONRAD (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Casey, Mr. Coons, Mr.
Hoeven, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Snowe, Ms.
Stabenow, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Tester, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Johnson of South
Dakota) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 455
Whereas the brave men and women of the United States Armed
Forces, who proudly serve the United States, risk their lives
to protect the freedom of the United States and deserve the
investment of every possible resource to ensure their lasting
physical, mental, and emotional well-being;
Whereas more than 2,000,000 service members have deployed
overseas as part of overseas contingency operations since the
events of September 11, 2001;
Whereas the military has sustained an operational tempo for
a period of time unprecedented in the history of the United
States, with many service members deploying multiple times,
placing them at high risk of PTSD;
Whereas according to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance
Center, approximately
[[Page S3090]]
90,000 service members who have returned from overseas
contingency operations have been clinically diagnosed with
PTSD;
Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs reports that--
(1) since 2002, more than 217,000 of the more than 750,000
veterans of overseas contingency operations who have sought
care at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center have
been diagnosed with PTSD; and
(2) in fiscal year 2011, more than 475,000 of the nearly
6,000,000 veterans from all wars who sought care at a
Department of Veterans Affairs medical center received
treatment for PTSD;
Whereas many cases of PTSD remain unreported, undiagnosed,
and untreated due to a lack of awareness about PTSD and the
persistent stigma associated with mental health issues;
Whereas PTSD significantly increases the risk of
depression, suicide, and drug- and alcohol-related disorders
and deaths, especially if left untreated;
Whereas perceived or actual symptoms of PTSD or other
mental health issues create unique challenges for veterans
seeking employment;
Whereas the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs
have made significant advances in the prevention, diagnosis,
and treatment of PTSD and the symptoms of PTSD, but many
challenges remain; and
Whereas the establishment of a National Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Awareness Day will raise public awareness
about issues related to PTSD, reduce the stigma associated
with PTSD, and help ensure that those suffering from the
invisible wounds of war receive proper treatment: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates June 27, 2012, as ``National Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Awareness Day'';
(2) supports the efforts of the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs and the Secretary of Defense to educate service
members, veterans, the families of service members and
veterans, and the public about the causes, symptoms, and
treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (referred to in
this resolution as ``PTSD''); and
(3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate
transmit a copy of this resolution to the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, today I am submitting--for the third year
in a row--resolution to designate June 27 as National Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Awareness Day. That date was inspired by the birthday
of North Dakota National Guard Staff Sergeant Joe Biel. Staff Sergeant
Biel served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Trailblazer, part of a unit
responsible for route clearance operations. Each day, Joe's mission was
to go out with his unit to find and remove Improvised Explosive Devices
and other dangers from heavily traveled roads to make it safe for
coalition forces and Iraqi civilians to travel. Joe lost his post-
deployment struggle and, suffering from PTSD, tragically took his own
life 6 months after returning home. There is no doubt that Joe Biel is
a hero who gave his life for our country.
I learned of Joe's story because friends from his platoon, the 4th
Platoon, A Company, of the North Dakota National Guard's 164th Combat
Engineer Battalion, have organized an annual motorcycle ride across the
State of North Dakota in his memory. The Joe Biel Memorial Ride serves
as a reunion for the 164th, a memorial for a lost friend, and a beacon
to those suffering from PTSD and other mental health issues across the
region. The key point made to me by the event's organizer, Staff
Sergeant Matt Leaf, is that we have to raise awareness of this issue so
that the lives of service members, veterans, and other PTSD sufferers
and their families can be saved.
For many, the war does not end when the warrior comes home. All too
many service members and veterans face PTSD symptoms like anxiety,
anger, and depression as they try to adjust to life after war. We
cannot sweep these problems under the rug. PTSD is real. We know PTSD
is caused by a traumatic event. We also know that we are sending our
troops into combat situations where they are going to experience
traumatic events. We know that the percentage of PTSD diagnoses
increases with each deployment into combat. We know, as a nation, that
we must take responsibility to help our sons and daughters cope with
what they have experienced. We owe them that much.
When our troops came home from Vietnam, we ignored their health
concerns for far too long. When our troops came home from the first
Gulf War we tried to make sure the government was doing all it could to
resolve their health concerns. PTSD is this conflict's Gulf War
Illness. The Department of Defense has created a Defense Center of
Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and
teams with the National Institute for Mental Health and universities to
address PTSD. The Department of Veterans Affairs has likewise
established the National Center for the study of PTSD. These
departments have made significant advances in the prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD and its symptoms to help us live up to
our responsibility.
But more can and must be done. We need to ensure that these efforts
are coordinated. In 1995, a President's Advisory Commission was created
to conduct an independent, open, and comprehensive review of government
activities relating to Gulf War illness. Today, I am calling on
President Obama to establish a new Presidential Advisory Commission to
conduct a similar review of the Government's efforts to address PTSD in
order to maximize the time and treasure we are spending on solving this
problem. We owe it to those who have served.
I am proud that Staff Sergeant Leaf and his fellow Trailblazers
continue the annual Joe Biel Memorial Bike Ride, to be held on Memorial
Day this year. am proud that I was able to help boost their efforts to
bring attention to this issue by creating a National PTSD Awareness
Day. I am proud to introduce this Resolution once again. Actions like
these garner attention and help to eliminate the stigma surrounding
mental health issues. They are about letting our troops and veterans
know it is okay to come forward and say they need help--that it is a
sign of strength, not weakness, to seek assistance. And they help show
that we can, and we must, do more.
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