Political Quotes

“I thank Ranking Member Bost for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be addressing the House today as we are just days removed from Veterans Day, when our Nation recognizes those who honorably served to protect our precious, God-given liberties and freedoms. We have a duty and responsibility to help the veterans of our Armed Forces who have fought to preserve our freedoms and liberties. In 2011, VA launched the Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership program, or the VITAL program, to provide mental health services to student veterans on college campuses. Hundreds of thousands of veterans attend college every year. They often have difficulty adjusting from the military to an academic campus culture and relating to nonveteran peers. As someone who has personally gone through the transition back to civilian life, I can say my experiences in combat and leadership were vastly different than the experiences of my fellow students. I was much older than my fellow students; much older. I was no longer surrounded by my fellow warriors; and I was a stranger in a strange academic land. For these reasons, I understand why the VITAL program is so important. Since its inception in 2011, it has grown to support student veterans at 183 locations. VITAL program services are locally managed, staffed, and evaluated by VA medical centers working with area schools, which allows for independence and flexibility.…”