[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2373-2374]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           MILITARY SUICIDES

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to welcome 
encouraging news from the Army on a problem our military has faced for 
over a decade, the increase of suicides.

[[Page 2374]]

  It was announced today that, for the first time since 2004, suicides 
in the Army have decreased. In 2013, there were 150 suicides in the 
Active Duty Army, down 19 percent from the 185 in 2012. This is great 
news, but it is just a first step and a lot more must be done.
  Mr. Speaker, even one soldier taking his or her own life is a 
tragedy, but 150 is still an epidemic, especially where one in five 
were never deployed. That number increases further if you include the 
Guard, Reserves, and other services. Not only must Congress do more to 
address this issue, this country needs to focus more on the overarching 
issue of mental health.
  As this Congress moves forward, I will continue to work on this issue 
and intend to introduce legislation again dealing with mental health 
assessments during initial enlistments.
  We must keep faith in the promise to take care of these individuals 
who stepped forward to serve our Nation.

                          ____________________