Matthew Russell: “I thank the Congresswoman. Mr. Speaker, it is a serious issue that our Nation faces when we imagine the sacrifice that…”

“I thank the Congresswoman. Mr. Speaker, it is a serious issue that our Nation faces when we imagine the sacrifice that our veterans make only to see them become casualties in a battle with the mind. Those of us who have borne the burden of battle carry the weight of that burden the rest of our lives. As a warrior, I have seen the worst things that human beings can do to one another. I have had to take human life. I have had to watch fellow warriors lose theirs. I have caressed wounded brothers as they have been bleeding. We recall these things and carry these things, and, as warriors, we attempt to process it all when we come home. When we do come home, others attempt to interact with us not quite knowing how that interaction should play out or how to treat the Americans we really are. So, as we address this issue of veteran suicide and as we stand here to speak in support of the many good measures that we have heard today, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to provide a couple of things worth noting with which we could reach out to the community at large, to our States, to all of America. For the population that deals with returning battle veterans, purpose matters. We don't want to come home as victims. We don't want to be put in some special class. We have maintained the stresses of battle, and we have fought our Nation's wars, but purpose matters as we come home.…”