Preventing Veteran Suicide

Floor Speech

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Mrs. DINGELL. I thank my friend from Michigan for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank my friends Congressman Benishek, Congresswoman Sinema, and Congresswoman Bustos for their leadership and for hosting this Special Order this evening on an issue that we all care very deeply about: the high rate of suicide among our veteran population.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and it is important that we draw attention to this critical issue. The facts are stark. My other colleagues have already mentioned them. A veteran commits suicide every 65 minutes. That means that 22 veterans a day are dying.

Today we honor those that we have lost already and the families who have suffered so much and are left behind. These veterans were true American heroes who served their country and came home tormented. We can never forget the sacrifices that they have made.

It is great, on this evening, to see my colleagues from both sides of the aisle here to talk about this issue, because it is my sincere hope that we can come together and rededicate ourselves to doing what is right for our veterans and making sure that we are dedicating sufficient resources to veterans' care.

On Sunday night, in Michigan, I will gather with the family and friends of those veterans who have committed suicide in Michigan. They have built a cross for each of those lives to try to raise awareness in our community.

In addition, at a meeting that I hold with my mayors, where normally we are talking about infrastructure or roads, two-thirds of that meeting was spent talking about veterans and the emotional issues we are dealing with in our communities as we see these veterans struggling.

The mayors and I have started a task force to address these issues. We have started a veterans' court that has been following the model of other places, trying to raise awareness so that in the community, we see when someone is struggling and are able to put out a helping hand.

My next-door neighbor's young son, when tormented, needed help; and when he called, he couldn't get it.

We all have got to come together. These brave young men and women have served our country. When they came home from World War II and Korea, we celebrated them. We thanked them for their service. We formed a community around them.

These young men and women are fighting for us. They are fighting for freedom. They are fighting for world security. We have an obligation to help them when they come home, to help get them the resources that they need. They have memories that haunt them. They have memories that torment them.

This Suicide Prevention Month, we have to take the stigma away from mental illness. We have to recognize that young people need help sometimes, and we have to be there for them.

Tonight I thank my colleagues for organizing this Special Order so that we remind people that those who have served us sometimes need that helping hand. If we can prevent it, we must, any young person from taking their life because of the service that they gave this country.

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