Walter B. Jones: “while our Nation faces many serious issues, from the economy to health care, there is one important issue we must not…”

“while our Nation faces many serious issues, from the economy to health care, there is one important issue we must not forget. That is the issue of American servicemembers who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health challenges. Earlier this month, I received a letter from the mother of a marine who is stationed in my district at Camp Lejeune. This mother is very concerned about how the Marine Corps is treating her son. And I would like to read from her letter. ``Congressman Jones, my son joined the United States Marine Corps while still in high school. I remember him as a little boy looking in awe at his grandfather in his Marine Corps uniform and telling me that was what he was going to be when he grew up. ``Growing up, he was the son every parent could be proud of. He never got into any trouble in school, was always there to help with his younger siblings, held a job after school and was extremely active in the Boy Scouts. He earned his rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 16 and held many positions within the Boy Scouts. ``Because of his Eagle Scout status, he entered the Marine Corps as a PFC and quickly rose to the rank of sergeant within his first 3 years in the Marines. He was an exemplary marine and an exemplary young man. ``If you review his military record, you can plainly see that he had no problems with behavior or performance prior to his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.…”