New bill aimed at reducing veteran suicide rates

[Judi Lynn]

8/29/2006
Volume: 102
Number: 63

New bill aimed at reducing veteran suicide rates
Brandon Conaway
NI News Writer

It was thought that around 79 veterans from both the Iraq war and the Afghanistan conflict have committed suicide.

However, new evidence suggests that that number is hopefully optimistic, with the actual numbers totaling over 1,000. A new bill currently in congress is aimed at helping prevent suicide among U.S. veterans.

Bill H.R. 5771, also called the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act of 2006, is named after 22 year-old Joshua Omvig, an 11 month veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Grundy Center, Iowa. Omvig shot himself in the head in front of his mother three days before Christmas last year.

Leonard Boswell, (D-IA) a Congressman and Vietnam Veteran, first proposed the bill in the House of Representative on July 12, 2006.
(snip/...)

http://fp.uni.edu/northia/article2.asp?ID=4956&SECTION=1

[aquart]

1. Gonna erase their memories?

Point neuralyzers at them? Nothing will work but ending this obscene war of aggression against a people who NEVER attacked us.

[krispos42]

2. Idea: STOP MAKING MORE COMBAT VETERANS!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[DRoseDARs]

3. Maybe my memory's faulty but wasn't the mental health funding cut 4 vets?

Perhaps properly funding such programs would be more effective than creating new programs to underfund as well... :shrug:

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Don't tell me, let me guess. *'s VA will cut off benefits for survivors

of any veterans or active military who commit suicide.

[Vidar]

5. Good idea as far as it goes.

[Bobbieo]

6. This bill had better receive serious consideration

from both political parties as PTS is a "given" for almost all returning vets.

[soothsayer]

7. are they proposing death sentences for suiciders or something?

[Lars39]

8. K&R

:kick: