Another Bill to Address Military Suicides--Wrong Address

Another bill to deal with veterans committing suicide and we're wondering when Congress will get the fact they have failed far too many times before. The latest bill is named after Clay Hunt. Clay committed suicide after he did everything experts said he should back in 2011.

Lawmakers unveil bill to prevent veteran suicides
The Hill
By Kristina Wong
07/10/14

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday to help prevent veteran suicides and reform the way the Veterans Affairs Department treats those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act is sponsored by House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), and Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

"The VA's staff and budget has increased some 40 percent over the last seven years, but unfortunately suicides are happening at a frightening pace," said Miller at a press conference Thursday.

"Twenty-two veterans a day is not acceptable by anybody's imagination. This isn't going to change as long as the VA continues to stick to its business-as-usual tactics," he added.

The bill is named after 28-year-old Marine veteran Clay Hunt, who took his own life in March 2011. Clay had voiced concerns to his parents about the VA losing his files, troubles scheduling appointments and the quality of treatment he received. Two weeks after his first appointment with the Houston VA medical center, he committed suicide.
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Did any member of Congress address all the other bills they wrote and passed that produced higher suicides? Did any member of congress actually begin to investigate how they were so wrong in the past that nothing really worked? What good does it do to address a crisis when they are using the wrong address?

Hearing after hearing and the press is all over them. The trouble is that they were all over it since the start of this decade, the last decade and two more before. Crisis after crisis and they actually expect members of congress to get it right this time when they just repeat it all over again? We've watched the hearings on CSPAN and saw the empty chairs. We heard member after member talk and talk while we suffer and wait for them to get a clue.

Some really do care but caring is not enough. When they understand so little about what PTSD is, what it does and why it does it they will gain nothing by hearing from grieving families when it is too late to change.

How many more families like the Hunt's addressed congress only to read about even more suicides following them? How many more bills need to be passed? How many more charities need to raise awareness and funds while it all gets worse for us?

We went through everything that is happening now in the 90's when reporters didn't care about Vietnam Veteran families. Are we really willing to more veterans suffer before something actually does happen?