U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is among 34 original cosponsors of a U.S. Senate resolution to highlight the importance of supporting the nation’s military service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Sen. Tillis on May 23 introduced Senate Resolution (S.Res.) 220 with sponsor U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) to designate June 27 as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day and June as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month.
“It is vital that Congress continue to work in a bipartisan basis to make sure that our veterans and service members, including the National Guard and Reserve, have access to support and health care services they need and deserve,” Sen. Tillis said on June 11.
Among the lawmakers joining Sen. Tillis as a cosponsor are U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Hoeven (R-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), Todd Young (R-IN), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and lead Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.
S.Res. 220 would stipulate that the members of the U.S. Armed Forces “deserve the investment of every possible resource to ensure their lasting physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” according to the text of the resolution, including the more than 2.7 million service members most recently deployed overseas since Sept. 11, 2001 in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq.
“The current generation of men and women in the Armed Forces has sustained a high rate of operational deployments, with many members of the Armed Forces serving overseas multiple times, placing those members at high risk of experiencing combat stress,” the resolution says. “Whereas, when left untreated, exposure to traumatic combat stress can lead to PTSD or post-traumatic stress injury.”
Sen. Tillis added that his home state counts a growing population of almost one million veterans.
“Unfortunately, we have not even begun to get a handle on the mental health needs of the many brave men and women who have served our nation,” he said.