Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and giving me an opportunity to speak on such a critically important topic. You know, I served for 26\1/2\ years, Mr. Speaker, in the United States Air Force. I pinned Purple Hearts on the chests of some of my troops that had gone into harm's way. I know the stress and strain on military families and on military members. I represent a district that arguably is one of the largest, if not the largest, veteran-populated districts in the State of Ohio, with nearly 50,000. And yet today, in 2017, we see 20 veterans per day, 1 every 72 minutes, committing suicide. What does that say about us as a nation when we send our young people off in uniform to stand in harm's way, to protect our freedoms, to protect our liberties, to protect our values and way of life, and then when they come home we can't get them the help that they need when they are down? One of the saddest days since I began serving the people of eastern and southeastern Ohio was the day I got a call from a young wife of a military member. She said she had been dealing with the VA for quite some time to get her husband an appointment with a mental health counselor, all to no avail. He couldn't get in, couldn't get in, couldn't get in. I stopped by the VA center one day. I asked to speak to the director, gave the young man's name, and I said: I would like to see the status of his appointment.…”