[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 129 (Thursday, September 26, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H5865-H5871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pittenger). Under the Speaker's
announced policy of January 3, 2013, the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms.
Sinema) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority
leader.
Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, September is Suicide Prevention Month, a
time for our Nation to raise awareness about the persistent scourge of
suicide.
Tens of thousands of Americans die each year purposefully by their
own actions. They are our neighbors and our friends, they are our sons
and our daughters, and too often they are the men and women who have
served our country honorably in the United States military. An
estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day in our country. That is
one life lost every 65 minutes.
We have assembled today's Special Order to accomplish three things:
First, we seek to demonstrate our continuing support for the
individuals, organizations, and agencies whose efforts in addressing
this preventable epidemic continue in the face of difficulty.
Second, we are here to challenge the VA, the Department of Defense,
and our fellow lawmakers to do more. The number of veteran deaths by
suicide is increasing, despite current efforts. Clearly, what we are
doing now isn't working. We are failing in our obligation to do right
by those who have served so honorably.
And finally, we send a message to military families who have
experienced this tragedy. To grieving families across America, know
that your family's loss isn't forgotten. We are working to stop this
epidemic and prevent future suicides. We work for the memory of your
loved ones and for the prevention of future losses.
My colleagues here today believe, as I believe, that no one who comes
home after serving our country should ever feel they have nowhere to
turn. Sadly, many of our young vets feel just that.
Earlier this year, a young veteran in my district committed suicide.
Daniel Somers was an Army veteran of two tours in Iraq. He served on
Task Force Lightning, an intelligence unit. He ran over 400 combat
missions as a machine gunner in the turret of a Humvee. Part of his
role required him to interrogate dozens of terror suspects, and his
work was deemed classified.
Like many veterans, Daniel was haunted by the war when he returned.
He suffered from flashbacks, nightmares, depression, and additional
symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, made worse by a traumatic
brain injury. Daniel needed help. He and his family asked for help the
best way they knew how.
Unfortunately, the VA enrolled Daniel in group therapy sessions
instead of connecting him with a private counselor or therapist where
he would be able to talk confidentially about his experiences. He
attended the VA group sessions even though he knew--due to the
classified nature of his work--that he could not fully share what gave
him nightmares.
Like many, Daniel's isolation got worse when he transitioned home to
civilian life. He tried to provide for his family, but he was unable to
work due to his disability.
{time} 1600
Daniel struggled with the VA bureaucracy. His disability appeal had
been pending for over 2 years in the system without any resolution.
Daniel didn't get the help he needed in time. On June 10 of 2013,
Daniel wrote a letter to his family.
It begins:
I am sorry that it has come to this. The fact is, for as
long as I can remember, my motivation for getting up every
day has been so that you would not have to bury me. As things
have continued to get worse, it has become clear that this
alone is not a sufficient reason to carry on. The fact is, I
am not getting better; I am not going to get better; and I
will most certainly deteriorate further as time goes on. From
a logical standpoint, it is better to simply end things
quickly and let any repercussions from that play out in the
short term rather than to drag things out into the long term.
He goes on to say:
[[Page H5866]]
I am left with basically nothing. Too trapped in a war to
be at peace, too damaged to be at war, abandoned by those who
would take the easy route and a liability to those who stick
it out--and, thus, deserve better. So, you see, not only am I
better off dead, but the world is better without me in it.
This is what brought me to my actual final mission.
Daniel's parents, Howard and Jean, were devastated; but in the midst
of their pain, they bravely shared Daniel's story and created a mission
of their own. Their mission is to ensure that Daniel's story brings to
light America's deadliest war--the 22 veterans that we lose every day
to suicide.
I am grateful to Howard and Jean for their courage and their
strength, but we cannot leave this great task to Howard and Jean alone.
The rest of the country must stand and join Howard and Jean in their
work to prevent suicide. Each of us can do something to raise
awareness, to be that light for a struggling veteran in our
communities. Businesses can display signs like this one to let veterans
know that help is always available, and mental health professionals can
volunteer with organizations like Give an Hour to provide free
counseling to veterans and their families. We can all learn to
recognize the signs of crisis by visiting veteranscrisisline.net and
then reaching out to the vets in our lives.
Here in Congress, we, too, can do more. We need a VA that provides
real and meaningful help to veterans in need. We who enjoy freedom
every day, thanks to the sacrifices of our military servicemembers,
must all step up to end the epidemic of veterans' suicide.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan, Congressman Dan
Benishek.
Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Arizona
for organizing this Special Order.
This is an issue that is very close to me as well, and I want to join
the rest of my colleagues here today in recognizing September as
Veterans' Suicide Prevention Month.
As my colleague mentioned, a veteran in this country commits suicide
every 65 minutes. That's 22 lives extinguished every day. As a father
of a veteran, as a doctor who has worked at the VA hospital in northern
Michigan for over 20 years, and as the chairman of the Health
Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs, I know that the challenges of
military life do not end once our servicemembers retire from active
duty. The mental wounds of war may be invisible, but no less real to
the young men and women suffering from them.
Facing high unemployment rates, the stigma of post-traumatic stress
disorder and a loss of military fellowship, returning veterans often
face a crisis of confidence at the very moment they should feel nothing
but relief and rest. This year, we will bring 34,000 troops home from
Afghanistan. The President has indicated he may withdraw all of the
63,000 member strong force by the end of 2014. The time to act to
address this epidemic of veteran suicide is now.
I am pleased that VA leadership has made veteran suicide a priority.
New programs putting researchers to work on reviewing health records
for suicide risk factors is one example of the important steps that are
being taken, but more--much more--needs to be done. We cannot and we
will not allow 22 suicides a day to become the ``new normal.''
As friends and families of our veterans and those serving our
country, there are some things we all can do. We can work to recognize
the symptoms that could indicate serious problems and identify where
and how to get assistance when we need it.
To all veterans who are struggling as to whether to take their own
lives, know that there is no shame in asking for help. You are not
broken, and God has not forgotten you. You volunteered to go to war for
us, and we have failed to provide you adequate support when you
returned home. That is changing, and I beg you to reach out to your
local VA, veterans center, veterans service organization, or local
Member of Congress for help.
Together, we can begin to turn the tide on veteran suicide. Everyone
can help fight this epidemic and be there for those who were there for
us.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Congressman Benishek. I appreciate your words
very much.
Our next speaker who will join us this afternoon is my colleague from
Florida, Congressman Patrick Murphy. I yield to him.
Mr. MURPHY of Florida. First of all, I would like to thank the
gentlelady from Arizona for bringing us all together for this very
important issue.
Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of my colleagues who are here today
who support our brave men and women of the United States military--
those who were willing to give life and limb in service of our great
Nation. Those who fought for our freedom have earned America's
gratitude and support as they reenter society after the trauma of
serving in prolonged war zones. Our Nation must remain focused on the
health and well-being of the brave men and women who have served. This
means treating even the wounds that are not visible.
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and it is incumbent that every
one of us take the time to reach out to servicemembers and veterans who
may be struggling. It should shake every Member of this body to know
that we lose 22 heroes every day to suicide.
Yesterday, I was honored to join with local veterans groups to bring
attention to this troubling issue. I want to take this opportunity to
thank Mary Hinton with the Renewal Coalition, Dr. Deepak Mandi with the
West Palm Beach VA Medical Center, and Dr. Raul Diaz with the Jupiter
Veterans Center for not only joining me at this important event
yesterday but for the important work they are doing to assist the
veterans and their families in our community every day.
I want to recognize the great work of the Veterans Crisis Line, which
has fielded over 890,000 calls since 2007 and provides important,
comprehensive mental health care at VA medical centers across the
Nation.
I also want to thank Lynn Szymoniak for her hard work and dedication
with Angel Fire, another organization in my district which helps our
wounded veterans transition back to civilian life.
For Suicide Prevention Month, let's recommit ourselves to providing
our heroes, who have sacrificed so much for our Nation, with the
respect, the benefits and the care that they have earned through their
service by raising awareness, ending the stigma, and treating their
invisible wounds.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Mr. Murphy.
I yield to another colleague from the great State of Florida, Mr. Ted
Yoho.
Mr. YOHO. I thank my colleague from Arizona for putting this
together.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the epidemic of veterans who
not only commit, but consider, suicide.
I again want to address what my colleague talked about, the quote of
``too trapped in a war to be at peace, too damaged to be at war.''
These are the words left behind by the soldier, Daniel, who tragically
took his own life a few months ago. Daniel was one of many who had been
affected by PTSD and who had come back from war with suicidal thoughts.
This is an epidemic among our servicemen and -women, and it must be
stopped.
Again, it is estimated that more than 22 veterans take their lives
each day. That's 30 percent of all veterans who have considered
suicide. In Florida's Third Congressional District alone, there are
over 120,000 veterans, which means, according to current data, about
36,000 veterans in my district have thought about suicide. This is
unacceptable, and we must remedy this.
We need to do all we can for those who have sacrificed the most for
our Nation, and that cannot just extend to the battlefield. We must
continue to take care of our soldiers when they come back home. That
includes setting up programs to help veterans deal with PTSD and other
psychological issues so they can get the proper help they need. We have
to make veteran suicide prevention a priority, and I, along with my
colleagues, will work tirelessly towards that end.
George Washington said:
To judge a nation's future military force and loyalty to
that nation's military will be determined by how well that
nation takes care of its veterans.
Before our Nation engages in another war, I hope we look at the true
cost of that war. If we look at the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq, it's not just the trillions of dollars or the thousands of lives
that have been lost. The
[[Page H5867]]
true cost of that war will be felt by this Nation for the next 60, 70,
80 years; and we need to make sure that we take care of those veterans
and that we think long and hard before we ever do that again.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Mr. Yoho.
Next, I yield to the distinguished Congresswoman from Illinois, a
proud veteran herself, Representative Tammy Duckworth.
Ms. DUCKWORTH. I thank the gentlelady from Arizona for bringing us
together on this incredibly important issue.
Mr. Speaker, our veterans, throughout their military careers, are
taught to be physically tough and mentally strong; and just because
they suffer from post-traumatic stress, it does not negate that. They
deserve every opportunity to achieve the same American Dream that they
defended for the rest of us. Yet, unfortunately, too many of our
veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress or from other mental
injuries resulting from their service.
Post-traumatic stress and mental injuries are not always the result
of combat; they can also include such trauma as that of sexual assault.
Regardless of how the trauma is suffered, we still must take care of
our veterans. We cannot allow these injuries to prevent them from
living the lives that they deserve; and in some cases, these injuries
have led these brave men and women to take their own lives. It has been
almost 8 years since my own injury; and in that time, if the 22-
suicides-a-day rate is to be counted, there have been at least 24,000
veteran suicides. This is simply unacceptable.
When I was director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs,
one of the very first things that I did was to create a 24/7 hotline
for mental health available for vets. We have one now across the
Nation, and that telephone number is 1 (888) 273-TALK. Please put that
on your refrigerator doors. You never know when that number could save
a life. We started that hotline because caring for our veterans and
their mental well-being is not a secondary priority; it is a mission
that we must pursue each and every day.
We cannot rest until we end veterans suicide in our Nation. We need
to care for these warriors' invisible wounds with as much dedication
and as many resources as we do their other combat injuries. Yet,
because they are invisible, we often overlook these wounds.
I am asking all levels of government, business and ordinary citizens
to make preventing veteran suicides our mission. We must come together
and reduce the stigma of post-traumatic stress. We must provide the
funding and the support that our heroes need. They fought for us. Now
it is time for us to fight for them.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Representative Duckworth.
I yield to another fine colleague from the great State of Illinois,
Representative Rodney Davis.
Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Thank you to the gentlelady from
Arizona for putting this Special Order together. It is a true privilege
to stand here to highlight an issue that needs to be dealt with here in
America.
Mr. Speaker, our veterans are those who have protected our freedoms
that allow us to stand on this floor and debate the issues of the day.
Without their sacrifices, we wouldn't have the America that we know
today.
I am surprised when I read the statistics about veteran suicides. The
number that dies by his own hand each year is greater than the official
number of all U.S. war deaths in more than a decade of fighting in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
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Between 2005 and 2011, over 49,000 veterans have taken their lives,
and more than 69 percent of all veteran suicides were among those 50
and older; and nearly one in five suicides nationally is a veteran,
even though veterans only make up 10 percent of the U.S. population.
We need to take steps to ensure that our veterans have the mental
health sources they need. We need to make sure that we raise awareness
and do away with the stigma of suicide so that veterans feel
comfortable finally reaching out for help. When soldiers are scared to
come forward about their mental health problems because they think they
will be labeled a ``coward,'' they continue down a dark and lonely path
that eventually could lead to suicide. Instead, we need to ask our
struggling veterans to ask for help.
As my colleague from Illinois just mentioned, the Department of
Veterans Affairs launched a crisis line that since 2007 has answered
more than 890,000 calls and has made over 30,000 rescues. In 2009, they
added a chat line for text, and over 108,000 texts have been sent.
These are the types of resources that we need to provide those who have
provided so much protection and freedom for us here in America, and I
stand here today to work with my colleagues across the aisle to make
things happen.
Thank you again to the gentlelady from Arizona.
Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the great State
of California, Susan Davis.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to have an
opportunity to join with my colleague from Arizona, Congresswoman
Sinema, to talk about the issue of veteran suicide today and to do it
from a personal perspective here, as well.
Daniel Somers, as the Congresswoman noted, was a talented young man,
a decorated war hero, and a proud soldier. He asked for help. He did.
He reached out to the VA in hopes of being admitted to their suicide
prevention unit, but he was informed at that time that there was no
inpatient availability, no appointments that he could get right away.
We now know that Daniel took his life just a few days later.
His case was brought home to me because his parents, Jean and Howard
Somers, live in my former district and actually were friends of mine
and friends of people that I knew. When I first heard the story, I was
taken, as anybody would be, by their grief, by what had happened, and
the fact that we just cannot let that happen again.
I think they asked the question that we all ask: How could a young
man like that fall through the cracks? How was it that people did not
respond to him? How can we make a promise to care for him who shall
have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan when we cannot
guarantee placement in a suicide prevention treatment center?
One thing I think that we all learn from this is that we have to
listen to our constituents. What I have found to be so rewarding is
that parents with this kind of grief can work through that and use
their son's words to become strong advocates for what is needed in the
system.
Having served on the Personnel Committee, I know it was very
important to me to work through this issue for a number years as we
know of the many causes of suicide among those who have served in the
military. We know that, in fact, the major reasons are not necessarily
combat stress. Recent reports have shown us that financial hardship and
relationship strife are major causes of suicide among the military. It
points out to us how critically important this discussion of mental
health is in our country.
Sometimes I feel like we've arrived a bit and we plan. I know
agencies throughout our country and throughout the VA plan so hard so
that these kinds of tragedies do not occur; but they do occur, no
matter how hard the effort is. We have got to redouble those efforts,
we have got to listen, and we have got to encourage our families to do
what they can and what they think is right.
I actually think that one of the reasons that the Somers family has
become such strong advocates is because people did respond to them.
They didn't push them aside and say, Well, this is a terrible story,
and we're sad that it happened. We're not sure we can do anything about
it.
We can do something about it, and we will.
I thank my colleague for bringing this forward, and I thank the
Somers family, as well.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Davis.
I yield to my colleague from Washington State, Congressman Jim
McDermott.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleague from Arizona for
bringing this issue to the floor.
Forty-five years ago, I was a part of another era when there was a
draft, and everybody was subject to that draft. In 1975, we stopped
that draft,
[[Page H5868]]
and we changed the nature of our military. We made it an all-voluntary
military.
What we've done in this country is we've taken 1 percent of the
people and said, You volunteered for this. You go and do this for us.
We buy the guns, the bullets, and everything else and send them out
there. When they come back, we don't know them.
There's a fascinating book, called, ``Breach of Trust,'' by a man
named Andrew Bacevich. He is a colonel in the United States Army. He
lost a son in Iraq, and he has written an incisive account of what the
problem today is. The subtitle is ``How Americans Failed Their Soldiers
and Their Country.''
I know about PTSD because I dealt with it as a psychiatrist with
people coming back from Vietnam. The kids that were in ``Apocalypse
Now'' are the kids that came to my clinic. So I saw what people who
went through tough war was all about. What is happening today that we
do here on this floor--and I'm always uneasy when we do it--is we stand
up and we have a moment of silence. It's nice. We should do it, and we
do it. We thank people for their service.
Every veteran finds that as hollow, because they didn't go and get us
a cup of coffee; they were under orders to go and kill people. They did
it on our behalf.
We bear the responsibility for sending them out there to do it. Every
one of us on this floor, all 435 of us, bear the responsibility, as
does the American public.
When we receive them back, what do they get--homelessness?
joblessness? They get PTSD that may or may not be treated.
We say, Oh, well. The Veterans Administration will take care of that.
You can't put it off on the Veterans Administration. It is all our
responsibility.
There is a movie, called, ``The Invisible War,'' about what happens
to women who are now serving in the military. You can look at brain
injuries of kids who could do all kinds of things and come back and
can't remember their phone number, can't remember what their house
address is, and they are suffering from things that have happened to
them because of the war that they've been involved with, and what
happens to them is they get isolated. They get isolated, feeling that
nobody really understands what's going on with them. For some, suicide
seems like the only way.
Now, Native American tribes, more ancient people, understood this,
that when they sent warriors out to war, they received them back into
the tribe. The samurai did it. There was a whole process by which we
brought people back in and cleansed them of the guilt of what they've
done on our behalf. That collateral damage you read about or hear about
is our responsibility as well as theirs for having actually pulled the
trigger. We sent them, and they did it on our behalf. They cannot get
away from that.
We have put a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act
that will create a commission for high-level people to look at how we
bring these people back, and it's more than just fixing the process at
the VA. That's not enough. There is a much larger process of getting us
to accept what we're sending people to do. This recent brush we had
with Syria, we were about to send people down there to kill people all
over the place and say, Well, it was the Air Force that did it. I
didn't direct the smart bomb to go in there.
Yes, you did. Yes, I did. Yes, all of us did.
So when we talk about suicide and these isolated young men and women
who come back and feel there's no other hope, it is a much bigger
issue. It's an issue of getting them to come and talk to us and tell us
what they've done and accept, as we accept, the grief from that kind of
event.
I thank you for the time, and I encourage you to read the book,
``Breach of Trust.''
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Congressman.
I yield to my distinguished colleague from California, Congressman
Tony Cardenas.
Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank Congresswoman
Sinema for bringing us together so we can speak for at least an hour on
this very critical and important issue of supporting our veterans now
that they're home.
This is something that I shouldn't have to talk about. This is
something that none of us should have to bring up, but here we are. Too
many of our veterans are taking their own lives.
Our soldiers and veterans, who are all volunteers, should not be
killing themselves. Too many are, and it is at an epidemic rate. This
is entirely unacceptable.
While veteran suicide is frequently reported in the press and focused
on by the VA, it is rarely mentioned that last year 349 Active Duty
service men and women killed themselves. That is more Active Duty
deaths by suicide than in all combat deaths combined during the same
year, 2012, including the deaths in Afghanistan.
Alongside our Active Duty forces, nearly two dozen veterans kill
themselves every day. That is almost one every hour. That number is
going up, not down.
A survey by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America showed that
30 percent of servicemembers have considered taking their own life, and
45 percent said they know an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran who has
attempted suicide.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has devoted some resources to this
effort, but more can be done, and it starts right here in Congress. We
fund the VA; the VA does not fund itself.
It is important that we let military families of those who have
experienced these tragedies know that their experiences matter. We need
to provide resources, real support for our veterans and their families.
We owe this to the men and women who kept their promise to protect and
serve our Nation, because we now know and we can see that constant
mobilization and combat does not just impact our Nation as a whole, but
it forever impacts our men and women to whom we owe so much.
This Suicide Prevention Month, let us make a true effort to provide
mental health support for our veterans and their families. Over $1
trillion has been provided and spent on two wars over the last decade,
yet we have dedicated too little--very little--to help our veterans
when they return home. A trillion dollars sounds like a lot of money.
Almost one veteran an hour in this country takes his or her life.
What's that price, ladies and gentlemen? What's that value?
I believe that we have a backwards system in our country where we can
pop off $25 billion, $50 billion, $100 billion, and it keeps going and
going and going, and we're creating more and more veterans who come
back and who love their country. They would like to come back and feel
normal, but they don't feel right. Because of that, they take their
life.
We should be ashamed of ourselves because we have the answers, we
know the answers, and one of those answers is for Congress to dedicate
more money to our veterans so that when they come home they won't take
their life. We have the answers, ladies and gentlemen, but we're not
willing to heed the call. We need to do so.
Perhaps what we should consider doing in these Chambers from now on
is, every time we spend a dollar to go to war, maybe we should dedicate
$1 for our veterans when they come back. Fair enough?
{time} 1630
We lose count of the money we send to war. But we count every penny
that we send to the VA. And we squeeze them, and we tell them there's
no more. There's always more money for war, for some reason. Somehow,
there's always more money for war, regardless of what the economy is,
regardless of how much revenue we have. There's always more money for
war. But there's never enough money for us to dedicate to the veterans
who need us, who didn't question us, who we--we helped them change
their lives forever. And for some, they took their life once they came
back home and realized that we are not there for them. I hope that
we're all listening, Mr. Speaker. I hope that we're all listening.
And I thank you, Congresswoman Sinema, for this opportunity.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Representative Cardenas.
I now yield to my friend and colleague from southern Arizona,
Congressman Ron Barber.
[[Page H5869]]
Mr. BARBER. I want to thank my colleague from Arizona, Congresswoman
Sinema, for bringing us together this evening on this truly critical
issue in our country.
Mr. Speaker, I want to speak directly to the men and women who have
served this country. To those of you who have borne a decade of war and
to those of you who have endured the psychological scars that these
wars have brought, scars from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic
stress, I know that your wounds and you know that your wounds cannot
always be seen. But you also know and I know too that they're real.
I implore you to consider the grief and loss, the sadness that your
families will feel if you are no longer with them. They love you. They
want you to live. I implore you, suicide is not the answer.
For 32 years, I worked in the field of mental health services. I know
from the many, the thousands of success stories that mental illness,
post-traumatic stress, and emotional issues are treatable. You can
recover.
If you are hurting and need help, it is there for you. It is there in
your friends, in your family members, and it is there in the
professional services offered in your community and at the Veterans
Administration.
If you learn that someone is contemplating suicide, you have a
responsibility to intervene. Let them know how much they mean to you.
Help them get the services they need. It is everyone's responsibility
to stop this terrible tragedy that is occurring every single day. As
has been said already, 22 men and women who have served us in uniform
are committing suicide when they return home to civilian life.
You each deserve the full resources of this government and of your
communities and of your friends, and it is there for you.
Here in Congress, I am very pleased to say that while we talk a lot
about gridlock and we talk a lot about not getting things done and the
lack of bipartisanship, this is one issue on which we are truly in a
bipartisan coalition. We are fighting for you to make sure that you get
the support and the help and the gratitude that you deserve after
serving our country so bravely.
Just this week, I was deeply honored to welcome Congresswoman Tammy
Duckworth to my district. When I think about the greeting that she
received when we went to the University of Arizona from the veterans
who saw her courage, I knew that she was an inspiration not only to
them but to veterans all over the country, a great model of someone who
has been through so much and yet has found a reason to live and to
serve our country.
We went to the Veterans Center at the University of Arizona, where
veterans were helping other veterans not only deal with the transition
back into civilian life and into school life but also to deal with the
emotional issues that they have as they make that transition.
Help is there. It is there for each and every one of you who have
served us so well. And I implore you, look for the help. Give the help.
This is everyone's responsibility to reach out to the men and women
who have served us and to extend a helping hand and to get them to the
services that they need. They can and will be treated. And treatment
will, in fact, help them succeed. And they will, in fact, go through
this terrible time that they're dealing with when they contemplate
suicide.
I want to thank the gentlelady from Arizona once again for bringing
us together to talk about this very important topic to all Americans.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you so much, Congressman Barber.
I now yield to my colleague from Nevada, Congresswoman Dina Titus.
Ms. TITUS. Well, I too would like to thank my friend from the
southwest, Congresswoman Sinema, for hosting this special hour to draw
attention to Suicide Prevention Month, which we recognize here in
September.
Suicide within any population is a traumatic thing to deal with. But
we are learning that it is increasingly important and increasingly a
problem among our military and our veterans. It's critical that we work
to address, to recognize, to prevent, and to eliminate military
suicides. And I hope that today's Special Order will help to shine a
bright light on this very important topic.
Suicide within the military is a national problem. You have heard my
colleagues speak about it in their districts and their State and across
the country. But it is especially acute in my home State of Nevada. A
recent study done by the State of Nevada found that veterans in the
Silver State commit suicide at a rate of more than 2\1/2\ times higher
than nonveterans and quadruple the national rate. The study further
reported that Nevada's female veterans, those often hidden veterans,
commit suicide at more than triple the overall rate for females
statewide and nearly six times--six times--the national rate for
females. The study also found that in 2010, suicide accounted for more
than a quarter of the deaths among young veterans--those between 24
years and younger--throughout the State of Nevada. This is a trend we
just cannot allow to continue.
As other speakers have noted, every day, 22 veterans take their own
lives. Almost every hour, one of our Nation's heroes takes his or her
life. Nearly one in five suicides nationally is a veteran, even though
veterans make up only about 10 percent of the U.S. population.
As ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on
Disability Assistance, I'm working every day with my colleagues to
ensure that veterans receive all the benefits that they've earned and
the care that they need. So if you are a veteran who is struggling with
thoughts of suicide or you are the friend or family member of a veteran
who needs help, please contact us. Reach out to us because we need to
know what the VA can do to better support and serve you.
I would also encourage my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 2527, which is
the National Guard Military Sexual Trauma Parity Act. This would ensure
that members of the Guard receive all the care they need if they're a
victim of military sexual trauma while on training missions. We know
that if you are a victim and you suffer such trauma, that can often
lead to suicide.
On our committee, we're constantly working to ensure that the VA is
providing care for our veterans struggling with the thought of suicide.
But it's also important that we reach out and assure veterans that they
know that receiving help is not a sign of weakness. Instead, it's a
sign of strength.
When Army Staff Sergeant Ty Carter received a Medal of Honor, he
encouraged his fellow soldiers to reach out and for the civilian
community to support them. He said to the public, ``Know that they are
not damaged. They are simply burdened with living with what others do
not. We are resilient and will emerge even stronger over time.''
Sergeant Carter, we know that because of leaders like you and the
support of a grateful Nation, we can win the battle against military
suicide.
So, again, let us hear from you. And let me remind veterans and those
who love them that the VA operates a confidential support center that's
open 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. And please call if
you need support. Their phone number is 1-800-273-8255, and then just
press number 1. You can also send a text message to 838255.
So don't hesitate to reach out. Someone will be there to hear you.
Just as you never leave a fellow soldier on the battlefield, we can't
leave anyone behind when they come home. When they come home with
wounds that are both visible and hidden, we should be there.
So thank you to my colleagues and to the Congresswoman from Arizona
for giving us an opportunity to send this message loud and clear.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Titus.
I now yield to my colleague from Pennsylvania, Congressman Matthew
Cartwright.
Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for yielding.
And I also want to join Congresswoman Dina Titus in thanking
Congresswoman Sinema for arranging this Special Order hour and taking
the leadership to put these people together and speak out on this
topic.
Congresswoman Sinema, I say to you that you bring honor and credit to
the Ninth District of Arizona in taking a leadership position in this
role.
I also, Mr. Speaker, want to point out that Congresswoman Sinema has
brought the House together on these issues. She has brought Democrats
and
[[Page H5870]]
Republicans together in this Special Order hour. In case that fact has
escaped your notice, we speak as one voice on behalf of American
veterans. And I'm happy to lend my voice to that today.
I come from Pennsylvania, which is home to nearly 1 million American
veterans. These brave men and women served our country, and
unfortunately, we are here to say we have not always served them.
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
estimates that nationwide, 62,619 veterans are homeless on any given
night. And many of these veterans do suffer from mental illness.
A recently released study from the Department of Veterans Affairs
found that 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Now I heard that
several months ago, Mr. Speaker, and at first, I shrugged it off. I
mean, we're sort of callous around here. We're used to numbers. We're
used to statistics being bandied about. So when somebody said, ``Be
shocked: it's 22 American veterans committing suicide every day,'' I
thought, ``Well, what's that, out of 400, 500 suicides nationwide every
day?'' No, it wasn't that. It was somewhere between 80 and 110 American
suicides every day.
So we're not talking about a small proportion. We're talking about,
ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Speaker, we're talking about upwards of 20
percent of the suicides every day are American veterans committing
suicide. And we heard earlier this hour that it's something like less
than 10 percent of Americans are veterans. So it's hugely
disproportionate. The number of people committing suicide in this
country is hugely, disproportionately veterans in this country, and
that is a national embarrassment.
As someone who cares deeply about veterans' issues, I'm here to tell
you, I have introduced two bills after I heard that statistic. First,
the Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act, and second, the
Expediting Hiring for VA Trained Psychiatrist Act.
Now the Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act aims to provide for
our brave servicemen and -women when they return from combat with both
easily visible and difficult to detect wounds. While the physical
wounds of war are evident immediately, mental health issues obviously
may take longer to discover.
{time} 1645
As many as 30 percent of the Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom
veterans face the possible diagnosis of a mental health disorder.
However, after 5 post-service years--and this is the rule in the VA--
after 5 years, veterans would go to the back of the line for
psychiatric health care.
With the average wait time for a veteran to receive benefits at 273
days, this could mean the difference between life and death. It's like
a 5-year statute of limitations.
After a servicemember is separated from the service, if he or she
does not report a combat-related mental disorder within 5 years, it's
as if they do not qualify for psychiatric care.
The Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act would ensure that no
veteran be denied mental health treatment, no matter when combat-
related mental health disorders first appear. It eliminates that
ridiculous 5-year rule.
Additionally, I've introduced the Expedited Hiring for VA Trained
Psychiatrists Act. This bill allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
to fast-track the hiring of psychiatrists who have completed a
residency at a VA facility.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that we owe a great debt to those who serve
our Nation through military service, including those who stood ready at
a moment's notice to fight for our freedom. As long as I am a Member of
this Congress, I will be working to increase knowledge of benefits
available to the veterans community, to correct shortcomings in the VA
system, and to ensure that the men and women of the Armed Forces who
bravely serve this country receive all of the benefits to which they
are so richly entitled.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Representative Cartwright.
I now yield to my colleague from New York (Mr. Owens).
Mr. OWENS. Thank you, Congresswoman Sinema. I appreciate the work
you've done in bringing a bipartisan group together to address this
issue.
Mr. Speaker, I think it's important that we understand a number of
things. In my district, particularly upstate New York, there are 48
attempts at suicide every year. The hotline which was addressed before
receives 137,000 calls, on average, annually, and that is statistics
gathered from 2007-2012.
That number, and I'll repeat this again for any veteran out their
listening today, is (800) 273-8255.
How many of us have known someone who has committed suicide and have
thought to ourselves: I didn't see it coming. How could I have helped?
We hear that constantly when we talk to the families of those who
have committed suicide.
The New York Times reports that being a veteran increases your risk
of suicide double, so you have two times a greater risk of committing
suicide if you have served your country.
I urge all of us to stay alert, to make sure that we are focused on
watching those amongst us who may show signs of suicide, and it is
incumbent upon Congress to provide the funding to defeat this terrible
disease.
In my district, a young man committed suicide, who came from Glens
Falls, who was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division in Watertown, New
York. He was a skilled Blackhawk mechanic. And the theme that I
mentioned before was repeated by his friends and coworkers: I didn't
see it coming. How could I have helped?
We say thank you to our veterans by oftentimes saying thank you for
your service, but do we provide the service to them that they deserve?
We do not nearly enough, and we should.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you so much, Congressman Owens.
I now yield to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster).
Ms. KUSTER. Thank you, Congresswoman Sinema, and thank you so much
for bringing us together today. This is a unique experience since I've
been here in the United States Congress.
Mr. Speaker, today we've heard from Republicans and Democrats, men
and women, people from literally every corner of our country, young and
old, who have served this country and who honor those who serve us.
Each of us has been touched by this issue.
And I want to say, from a personal perspective, having been raised by
a combat veteran--my husband and I are both the children of combat
veterans. My father was a World War II pilot, and he flew in 63
missions before he was shot down and served in a POW camp. My father-
in-law landed on the beaches of Normandy when my father was flying
overhead.
Both my husband and I were raised in households that, although
successful, had many dark secrets. These were households where we lived
with PTSD. And I want to say to the veterans who have served our
country, of every era, that we are here to serve you, and we will not
leave you on the battlefield.
I serve on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and it's a tremendous
honor. With my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, led by
Congressman Benishek, whom you've heard from today, on the Health
Subcommittee, we will stand by the veterans who have served our
country. We will work to provide the resources and to help the men and
women that are working across this country in our Veterans
Administration to provide you with the services and the treatment and
the support that you need.
It's been a tremendous honor for me, as I travel around the State of
New Hampshire and my district, to work with veterans groups, to sit in
veterans centers, and to see the one-on-one support from the VSOs, from
those who have worked in this field, from people who understand the
dark secrets that you carry.
We are here for you. We will work together and, under the leadership
of Congresswoman Sinema and all of us who serve on the Veterans'
Affairs Committee and throughout this U.S. Congress, please know that
we are here for you and we will not forget.
Thank you for your service.
Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Illinois (Mr.
Enyart).
Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, ``Always Ready, Always There''--that's the
motto of the National Guard. That motto's engraved on this commander's
coin, my commander's coin that I carry with me wherever I go.
[[Page H5871]]
Before I came to Congress, I had the honor and the privilege and the
responsibility, for 5 years, to exercise command over the Illinois Army
and Air National Guard. I commanded 10,000 soldiers and 3,000 airmen.
It was my responsibility to train them, equip them, and order them into
war.
Most of them came back--34 of them did not, 19 of them during my
command. I carry those names with me in my breast pocket--ranks, names,
ages, hometowns, units of assignment, date of death.
What I don't carry are the two soldiers that I lost to suicide. I
don't know why I don't have those names. I should have those names.
They didn't come back either.
Most of those soldiers that I ordered to go to war came home. Those
few didn't. Many of them came home wounded, some of those wounds not
visible.
The first time a soldier under my command committed suicide, my staff
came to me and said, General, are you going to go to the funeral? I
said, Of course I'm going to the funeral. They said, Well, your
predecessor didn't go to funerals for soldiers that committed suicide.
I said, I do. We took them whole, sent them to war, and they came back
broken. That's my responsibility. I go.
Congressman Jim McDermott earlier spoke about responsibility. He
talked about how we in Congress and we as a Nation must take
responsibility for these broken lives. I accept responsibility for what
I've done. I accept responsibility for taking whole men and women and
sending them to war. I take responsibility for those two soldiers who
committed suicide under my command, under my watch. It's not an easy
thing to do. But that's what you have to do as a soldier, because
you're always ready and you're always there.
Illinois was very lucky. During my command we went several years
without a single suicide, while other States were losing soldiers and
airmen. And we were very proud of that. We thought we were doing a
great job. And, of course, oh, it was because we were doing such a
great job, and we drove it down to the lowest levels that it was okay
to be stressed and it was okay to accept help and you should get help.
And those are all good things and they were the right things to do;
but it wasn't all that we did, because I know those figures were a lie.
I know those zero suicides were a lie, because we had soldiers who were
drunk at 2 in the morning riding motorcycles who died. We had soldiers
driving cars at 120 miles an hour 2 months after coming home from a
deployment, and that was a suicide.
We must respond to that, and every soldier who comes home must take
responsibility for another soldier so that we can save them.
Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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