Lee Zeldin: “I thank the gentleman literally for every single word and for his passion and advocacy on behalf of all the veterans not…”

“I thank the gentleman literally for every single word and for his passion and advocacy on behalf of all the veterans not only in his district, but in mine and elsewhere. It is so incredibly important for the words that we just heard to be echoed throughout this Chamber and inspiration to be found for some of what are great ideas to actually come into effect. Because while there is one Joseph Dwyer who served our country, as the gentleman just pointed out, there are numerous Joseph Dwyers all around America who have not yet lost their struggles. Now, it is interesting because we so often call those who lose their bouts with the mental wounds of war--we call it suicide. Joseph Dwyer's last words were, ``I don't want to die.'' He was huffing, trying to get temporary relief from his pain. The struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder led to him losing his life, and he left behind a young widow and a 2-year-old daughter. There are Joseph Dwyers all around America who have not yet left behind young children and young widows. It is our duty in this House to fight for them with whatever energy and inspiration that we can find within us to ensure that what starts as a good idea becomes law. The PFC Joseph Dwyer Veterans Peer Support program is not a new idea. It may be a new idea for this Chamber. We created it in New York State back in 2012. At that time, I was in the New York State Senate, and we created it as part of the 2012-2013 State budget.…”