[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7040-S7041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL WARRIOR CALL DAY
Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee
on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the
Senate now proceed to S. Res. 754.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 754) designating November 13, 2022,
as ``National Warrior Call Day'' in recognition of the
importance of connecting warriors in the United States to
support structures necessary to transition from the
battlefield.
There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the
Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to; the Shaheen amendment at the desk to the
preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that
the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 754) was agreed to.
The amendment (No. 6508) to the preamble was agreed to as follows:
(Purpose: To amend the preamble)
Strike the preamble and insert the following:
Whereas establishing an annual ``National Warrior Call
Day'' will draw attention to the members of the Armed Forces
whose connection to one another is key to the veterans and
first responders in the United States who may be dangerously
disconnected from family, friends, and support systems;
Whereas the rate of suicide for members of the Armed Forces
serving on active duty increased from 20.3 per 100,000
individuals in 2015 to 28.7 per 100,000 individuals in 2020;
Whereas the suicide rate for veterans has steadily
increased since 2006, with 6,261 veterans dying by suicide in
2019;
Whereas, after adjusting for sex and age, the rate of
veteran suicide in 2019 was 31.6 per 100,000 individuals,
substantially higher than the rate among adults in the United
States who are not veterans at 16.8 per 100,000 individuals;
Whereas more veterans have died by suicide in the last 10
years than members of the Armed Forces who died from combat
in Vietnam;
Whereas many of the veterans who died by suicide had no
contact with the Department of Veterans Affairs;
Whereas the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
continues to lead to increased isolation and disconnection,
further exacerbating mental and physical ailments such as
post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury;
Whereas invisible wounds linked to an underlying and
undiagnosed traumatic brain injury can mirror many mental
health conditions, a problem that can be addressed through
appropriate medical treatment;
Whereas additional research is needed to highlight the
connection between traumatic brain injury as a root cause of
invisible wounds and suicide by members of the Armed Forces
and veterans; and
Whereas November 13, 2022, would be an appropriate day to
designate as ``National Warrior Call Day'': Now, therefore,
be it
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The resolution with its preamble, as amended, reads as follows:
S. Res. 754
Whereas establishing an annual ``National Warrior Call
Day'' will draw attention to the members of the Armed Forces
whose connection to one another is key to the veterans and
first responders in the United States who may be dangerously
disconnected from family, friends, and support systems;
Whereas the rate of suicide for members of the Armed Forces
serving on active duty increased from 20.3 per 100,000
individuals in 2015 to 28.7 per 100,000 individuals in 2020;
Whereas the suicide rate for veterans has steadily
increased since 2006, with 6,261 veterans dying by suicide in
2019;
Whereas, after adjusting for sex and age, the rate of
veteran suicide in 2019 was 31.6 per 100,000 individuals,
substantially higher than the rate among adults in the United
States who are not veterans at 16.8 per 100,000 individuals;
Whereas more veterans have died by suicide in the last 10
years than members of the Armed Forces who died from combat
in Vietnam;
Whereas many of the veterans who died by suicide had no
contact with the Department of Veterans Affairs;
[[Page S7041]]
Whereas the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
continues to lead to increased isolation and disconnection,
further exacerbating mental and physical ailments such as
post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury;
Whereas invisible wounds linked to an underlying and
undiagnosed traumatic brain injury can mirror many mental
health conditions, a problem that can be addressed through
appropriate medical treatment;
Whereas additional research is needed to highlight the
connection between traumatic brain injury as a root cause of
invisible wounds and suicide by members of the Armed Forces
and veterans; and
Whereas November 13, 2022, would be an appropriate day to
designate as ``National Warrior Call Day'': Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates November 13, 2022, as ``National Warrior
Call Day'';
(2) encourages all individuals in the United States,
especially members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty
and veterans, to call up a warrior, have an honest
conversation, and connect them with support, understanding
that making a warrior call could save a life; and
(3) implores all individuals in the United States to
recommit themselves to engaging with members of the Armed
Forces through ``National Warrior Call Day'' and other
constructive efforts that result in solutions and treatment
for the invisible scars they carry.
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