Ben Cardin actually said...

"The intent of this letter was to get a preliminary assessment of the number of troops being affected by the Department of Defense's (DOD) policies on mental health care in theater."

"I'm honored to be before your committee, and I bring to your attention a serious issue concerning the health of our combat troops."

"I'd like to know if--how familiar the three Assistant Secretaries are with this issue inside your departments, and what your thoughts are."

"It's sometimes very difficult to get support to build up the internal capacity of a country."