[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.

                          ____________________