[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 153 (Thursday, September 21, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF NOVEMBER 12, 2023, AS 
                     ``NATIONAL WARRIOR CALL DAY''

  Mr. SCHUMER. 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. 208.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 208) expressing support for the 
     designation of November 12, 2023, as ``National Warrior Call 
     Day'' and recognizing the importance of connecting warriors 
     in the United States to support structures necessary to 
     transition from the battlefield, especially peer-to-peer 
     connection.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the 
Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the Shaheen amendment at 
the desk to the resolution be agreed to; the resolution as amended 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 amendment (No. 1286) to the resolution was agreed to as follows:

                (Purpose: To amend the resolving clause)

       On page 3, line 14, strike ``members of the Armed Forces 
     carry'' and insert ``can afflict veterans and members of the 
     Armed Forces''.

  The resolution (S. Res. 208), as amended, was agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 1287) to the preamble was agreed to as follows:

                    (Purpose: To amend the preamble)

       In the seventh whereas clause of the preamble, strike ``can 
     lead'' and insert ``led, in some cases,''.

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as 
follows:

                              S. Res. 208

       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 in the 
     United States who may be dangerously disconnected from 
     family, friends, and support systems;
       Whereas the number of suicides of members of the Armed 
     Forces serving on active duty was 519 in 2021;
       Whereas, in 2020, there were 6,146 veteran suicide deaths, 
     and the unadjusted rate of suicide in 2020 among veterans was 
     31.7 per 100,000;
       Whereas, after adjusting for sex and age, the rate of 
     veteran suicide in 2020 was 57 percent higher than non-
     veteran adults;
       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 take their own lives have 
     had no contact with the Department of Veterans Affairs;
       Whereas the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic 
     led, in some cases, 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 12, 2023, would be an appropriate day to 
     designate as ``National Warrior Call Day'': Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the designation of November 12, 2023, 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 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 that can afflict veterans and members 
     of the Armed Forces.

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