[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[HO]
[Page 6953]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  MILITARY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY

  (Mr. PETERS of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PETERS of California. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Military 
Mental Health Awareness Day. Mental health issues continue to carry a 
significant stigma in our country, but it is time that we recognize the 
challenges that many current servicemembers and veterans are facing, 
and we work to address their needs.
  Post-traumatic stress is all too prevalent in our servicemembers and 
veterans. As a country, beyond partisanship, we must come together to 
tackle this issue. Our men and women in uniform deserve our dedication, 
just as we ask them to dedicate their lives to our Nation's service.
  In San Diego, nearly 5,000 veterans were treated for post-traumatic 
stress in 2011 according to the VA. We are fortunate in San Diego to 
have medical institutions that provide innovative models of care to our 
servicemembers and veterans; and it is my hope that with further 
attention to this issue, we can bring some of those standards of care 
to the rest of the country.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to help me bring attention to this 
issue by working with service providers, counselors, and military 
groups in their communities as we continue to honor the sacrifices 
these servicemembers make for us.

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