(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash), a key member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today called on the Bush Administration to acknowledge the price our veterans and their families are paying in service to our nation by improving mental health services when they come home.
A study released today by the Rand Corporation found that while 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan – 300,000 in all – report symptoms of PTSD or major depression, only slightly more than half have sought treatment.
Murray released the following statement:
“Five and a half years into this war it’s time for the Administration to take the blinders off and look at what this war is costing us,” Murray said. “These findings reaffirm the tragic cost of war and highlight the urgent need for the VA and Pentagon to screen and treat every returning service member.
"We need an Administration who values the sacrifice of our troops and veterans and doesn’t allow them to slip through the cracks when they come home. It shouldn’t take mental health statistics to reach crisis-stage to get this Administration to act.
“I have said this time and again – it is going to take more than money to get our troops and veterans they care they have earned. We need to see real leadership in the White House and a change in culture at the Pentagon."
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