[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 10 (Thursday, January 16, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING VETERANS COUNT

 Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to join the New 
Hampshire chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, 
MOAA, in recognizing the critical work of Veterans Count, a New 
Hampshire organization that has proven a critical ally in ongoing 
efforts to support servicemembers, veterans, and their families. On 
January 25, 2014, Veterans Count will receive the Granite State 
Warriors Award, given by the MOAA to New Hampshire organizations making 
the most significant contributions to the Armed Forces of the United 
States. A program of Easter Seals, Veterans Count helps servicemembers 
and their families throughout the deployment cycle and beyond.
  The hallmark of Veterans Count's approach to providing support is 
their partnership with the Deployment Cycle Support Program, DCSP, 
which has assisted thousands of servicemembers and their families since 
its inception in 2007. The program was built on the understanding that 
the strains of a military deployment are shared and can both precede 
and outlast the deployment itself. Thanks to the work and collaboration 
of New Hampshire groups like Veterans Count, the DCSP has provided 
extraordinary support to veterans and their families.
  Veterans Count also deserves recognition for their work addressing 
mental health and suicide awareness. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 
wounded our warriors in ways that were not previously well understood 
and although mental health and suicide prevention efforts are ongoing, 
we must do more to help those soldiers and veterans in need. Veterans 
Count is at the forefront of these efforts and, in 2012 alone, the 
group intervened successfully in 29 suicide risk situations. Moreover, 
since the program's inception, none of its participants have committed 
suicide. Veterans Count's success in suicide prevention is due in large 
part to their work helping veterans secure permanent employment and 
easy access to mental health care.
  I look forward to hearing more success stories as a result of 
Veterans Count's determined efforts, and I am pleased to congratulate 
them on a well-deserved award from the Military Officers Association of 
America.

                          ____________________