Political Quotes

“I want to thank my colleagues Representative Sinema and Representative Benishek for their leadership on this issue today and for organizing this time together. I also want to thank Representative Russell for his hard-earned insights that he has shared with us. Mr. Speaker, it is critical that we raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention. Unfortunately, this much-needed awareness comes too late for one of my Colorado Springs families. I would like to tell you the story of Noah, a former marine, who served with honor in Iraq in 2009 and in Afghanistan in 2011. I will not use his last name, but his parents have offered the use of his picture. After leaving the Marine Corps, Noah began working on a business degree at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and started his own online business. Now, Noah comes from a military family, his dad having honorably served for 23 years. He chose to put off college so that he could serve this great Nation. Unfortunately, his parents are appalled by the care their son did not receive from the VA. They believe their son would still be alive had he received better care. Noah was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and received a 50 percent disability rating due to PTSD. On April 2 of this year, he went to the Colorado Springs VA clinic, where medical notes from his visit state that he had had suicidal thoughts. Noah was prescribed a psychotropic drug and was sent on his way.…”