Our brave American Veterans volunteered to support and defend the Constitution, and our great nation. We owe it to them to help our Veterans live well. This bill describes that exposure to nature improves mental health, reduces the effects of depression and suicide, and encourages certain federal agencies to help our Veterans to “Get Outside.”
June 8, 2023
The Honorable Garret Graves
6th Congressional District of Louisiana
2402 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Graves,
On behalf of the two million members of AMAC, the Association of Mature American Citizens, including over 5,200 members residing in LA-06, and the Military Veterans Advocacy organization, we are pleased to convey our support to designate June 10th, 2023, as “Veterans Get Outside Day” as described in H.Res. 387.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in 2020 alone, 6,146 Veterans died via suicide. In every single case, for one reason or another, our system did not help them. In many cases, our brave Veterans face challenges including post-traumatic stress, severe injuries, depression, anxiety, and other maladies connected to their military service. They volunteered to support and defend the Constitution, and the best interests of our great nation, and we owe it to them to do better, and help them live with the consequences of supporting our country, and our collective futures.
Your resolution recognizes the 460,000 service members who have sustained traumatic brain injuries; that
20% of Veterans who fought for us in Iraq and Afghanistan face service-connected post-traumatic stress and depression; that the estimated suicide rate for Veterans is nearly 17 suicides per day; and that our brave former servicemembers deserve better care. This bill describes that exposure to nature improves mental health and reduces the effects of depression and suicide, and it encourages the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of the Interior, and the Forest Service to collaborate on making “green space” available for our national heroes.
AMAC Action, and the Military Veterans Advocacy organization strongly support, and encourage Congress to agree to House Resolution 387, along with Senate Resolution 206; resolutions to designate June 10th, 2023, as “Veterans Get Outside Day.”
Sincerely,
Bob Carlstrom
President
AMAC Action
CDR John Wells, USN (Retired)
Chairman
Military-Veterans Advocacy
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