America’s Veterans: How Congress Can Help

After serving in the Marines for six years, including completing a tour in Afghanistan, Cole Lyle returned home and suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and social isolation, resorting to almost taking his own life at one of his lowest moments. Now, he has turned it all around, dedicating himself to advancing the cause of veterans’ quality of life as the executive director of Mission Roll Call. The organization is “a nonpartisan movement providing veterans a powerful, unified voice that is heard by our nation’s leaders and communities.” Its priorities are ending veteran suicide, facilitating veterans’ health-care access, and advocating for underserved veteran populations.

Now, as the legislative agenda for the 118th Congress is still being assembled, Lyle says there are three pieces of veteran-related legislation that Congress must champion in the new year. The first relates to veteran-suicide prevention. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has dropped the ball on this critical issue for too long, shamefully allowing those who risked their lives for their country to fall prey to the invisible wounds of war. Due to the underreporting of drug-overdose deaths and other recording problems, the annual suicide rate among veterans is likely more than double what government statistics indicate. Lyle asserts that “a holistic, community-led approach to veteran mental healthcare is required to help those who’ve served to fully transition to civilian life and overcome battles with PTSD.” That is why he would like to see the new Congress build upon the Mission Daybreak campaign, a $20 million grant program the VA is offering to groups that assist veterans battling mental illness, to encourage innovators to create suicide-prevention strategies.

About the Author

Bobby Miller

Bobby Miller is an ISI Fellow at National Review and a graduate student at Georgetown University.

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After serving in the Marines for six years, including completing a tour in Afghanistan, Cole Lyle returned home and suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and social isolation, resorting to almost taking his own life at one of his lowest moments. Now, he has turned it all around, dedicating himself to advancing the cause of veterans’ quality of life as the executive director of Mission Roll Call. The organization is “a nonpartisan movement providing veterans a powerful, unified voice that is heard by our nation’s leaders and communities.” Its priorities are ending veteran suicide, facilitating veterans’ health-care access, and advocating for underserved veteran populations.

Now, as the legislative agenda for the 118th Congress is still being assembled, Lyle says there are three pieces of veteran-related legislation that Congress must champion in the new year. The first relates to veteran-suicide prevention. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has dropped the ball on this critical issue for too long, shamefully allowing those who risked their lives for their country to fall prey to the invisible wounds of war. Due to the underreporting of drug-overdose deaths and other recording problems, the annual suicide rate among veterans is likely more than double what government statistics indicate. Lyle asserts that “a holistic, community-led approach to veteran mental healthcare is required to help those who’ve served to fully transition to civilian life and overcome battles with PTSD.” That is why he would like to see the new Congress build upon the Mission Daybreak campaign, a $20 million grant program the VA is offering to groups that assist veterans battling mental illness, to encourage innovators to create suicide-prevention strategies.