Chris Sununu: “I rise today in favor of the Sanders amendment, No. 2905, to the Department of Defense authorization bill, which would…”

“I rise today in favor of the Sanders amendment, No. 2905, to the Department of Defense authorization bill, which would establish a pilot program aimed at providing essential care and services to National Guard soldiers returning home from duty. Back in the fall of 2004, the New Hampshire National Guard was one of the first Guard units to recognize the unique difficulties encountered by guardsmen and women returning from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In response, the Guard led the way in addressing these concerns by establishing its own reunion and reentry program, which employs innovative solutions to cope with the difficult transition to life at home. Under the reentry program, soldiers and their families receive multiple counseling sessions and an introduction to the array of services available to them within the first 36 hours of returning home. The program works to ensure that servicemembers and their families recognize that they are not alone and that the Guard is committed to providing the care and assistance they need after returning from deployment. This program has proven to be enormously successful, and has become a model for other States, due in part because it removes the burden of seeking and requesting care from the individual soldier. I am proud of the leadership role New Hampshire's National Guard has taken in combating this very serious problem.”