[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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