[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 161 (Thursday, September 17, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H4536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1530
                   SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. WALTZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. WALTZ. Madam Speaker, as a combat veteran, I think a lot about my 
past experiences in battle and personally have dealt with my own 
struggles, from PTS to survivor's guilt.
  But this year, we are in a collective battle, and the front lines 
look very different. We are fighting against an invisible enemy, 
against COVID-19, and we are forced to distance ourselves and to change 
our entire way of life. This isolation is causing anxiety, depression, 
and sometimes takes us to even darker places, even with suicidal 
thoughts.
  September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and I am teaming 
with a veterans group, Mission Roll Call, to raise awareness about 
suicide prevention, especially the 22 veterans per day we are currently 
losing.
  In combat, we are constantly checking on our brothers and sisters to 
our left and our right, and we have to do the same back here at home. 
So I say to all veterans out there: Reach out. Ask your buddy how they 
are doing. Share a memory. Let them know that you are thinking about 
them and you have their back.
  Together, we are stronger. Together, we can win this fight.

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