Sheila Jackson Lee: “I want to thank Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member Visclosky for shepherding H.R. 6157, the ``Defense Appropriations…”

“I want to thank Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member Visclosky for shepherding H.R. 6157, the ``Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019,'' to the floor and for their devotion to the men and women of the Armed Forces who risk their lives to keep our nation safe. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 12 increases funding for the PTSD by $5 million. These funds should be used toward outreach activities targeting hard to reach veterans, especially those who are homeless or reside in underserved urban and rural areas, who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Mr. Chair, along with traumatic brain injury, PTSD is the signature wound suffered by the brave men and women fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and far off lands to defend the values and freedom we hold dear. For those of us whose daily existence is not lived in harm's way, it is difficult to imagine the horrific images that American servicemen and women deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other theaters of war see on a daily basis. In an instant a suicide bomber, an IED, or an insurgent can obliterate your best friend and right in front of your face. Yet, you are trained and expected to continue on with the mission, and you do, even though you may not even have reached your 20th birthday. But there always comes a reckoning. And it usually comes after the stress and trauma of battle is over and you are alone with your thoughts and memories.…”