PRINTER'S NO. 3218
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
780
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY RADER, R. BROWN, NEILSON, DEAN, SIMS, BIZZARRO,
READSHAW, ROTHMAN, SCHLOSSBERG, SCHLEGEL CULVER, HAHN,
MILLARD, JAMES, SAYLOR, WARD, LONGIETTI, DONATUCCI, BARRAR,
RYAN, KAUFER, O'NEILL, SAINATO, BENNINGHOFF, CALTAGIRONE,
EVERETT, MENTZER, HILL-EVANS, SCHWEYER, J. McNEILL,
B. MILLER, WATSON, MURT, WHEELAND, GILLEN, BRADFORD AND
OBERLANDER, APRIL 2, 2018
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 2, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the Vet 22 campaign and raising awareness for the
ongoing epidemic of veteran suicide and the war at home with
a symbolic color.
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) released a report in 2013 providing that an average of 22
veterans commit suicide each day; and
WHEREAS, That average is the center of a campaign named Vet
22; and
WHEREAS, Vet 22 is a symbolic color which has the charter of
helping stem the tide of suicides among our military personnel
and veterans; and
WHEREAS, The color Vet 22 and Pantone color 395 are the same
color, a bright neon yellow; and
WHEREAS, Vet 22 derives its name from the startling statistic
that 22 United States veterans take their own lives each day and
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is designed to enlist support in the fight against veteran
suicide; and
WHEREAS, From 2001 to 2014, the VA found that suicides among
United States adult civilians increased 23% while veteran
suicides increased 32%, making the risk of suicide 11% greater
for veterans than civilians; and
WHEREAS, The reason for the elevated suicide rate among
recent veterans remains unclear but is most likely attributed to
factors such as the lengthy wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and
added tours of duty; and
WHEREAS, Vet 22 was started as a national campaign by
Pennsylvania resident and Special Forces operator Mark Baylis
and the Pennsylvania-based VALOR Clinic Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Through helping veterans with personal battles with
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury
(TBI), the founders' focus is to end veteran suicide in America;
and
WHEREAS, Vet 22 was first blended in a small motorcycle paint
plant in Bangor; and
WHEREAS, This color offers an easy way to send a loud message
of compassion to the men and women who put their lives on the
line to protect and serve the United States; and
WHEREAS, The campaign also directs attention to the Veterans
Unstoppable Program on the VALOR Clinic website, which provides
a free resource for Pennsylvania veterans who are in need of
help and intends to end the stigma surrounding PTSD and TBI; and
WHEREAS, The Veterans Unstoppable Program is a Pennsylvania-
designed and implemented program to help veterans struggling
with PTSD and TBI to avoid suicide and homelessness; and
WHEREAS, There have been more than 300 participants in
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Veterans Unstoppable and none have committed suicide; and
WHEREAS, A veterans retreat sanctuary for Pennsylvania is
currently being designed by the Veterans Unstoppable Program to
serve as a place of peace and healing for veterans; and
WHEREAS, The VALOR Clinic Foundation will also create a
large-scale public memorial to honor veterans featuring the
Memorial Mile with 50 yellow granite monuments memorializing the
names of military and veteran war at-home casualties spread
along its path at the retreat sanctuary; and
WHEREAS, The Memorial Mile honors all those who lost the
battle at home; and
WHEREAS, The nation has failed to honor these casualties; and
WHEREAS, The Memorial Mile will serve as a national monument
to the war at home and Vet 22 as a national call to action; and
WHEREAS, The parents of Specialist Wargo, who joined the
United States Army after 9/11 and spent 10 months in Afghanistan
before suffering with PTSD for eight years and taking his own
life on May 20, 2013, will lead the way to the Memorial Mile;
and
WHEREAS, The residents of Pennsylvania have a responsibility
to help our brothers-in-arms and sisters-in-arms who suffer from
the deepest, invisible wounds of war before these veterans
believe their only choice is taking their own lives; and
WHEREAS, The health and well-being of the courageous men and
women who served in uniform are of the highest priority for the
House of Representatives; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and
fully support the Vet 22 campaign as it continues to raise
awareness about veteran suicide and works to ensure that our
veterans and the families of all service members receive the
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care, support and service in their greatest hour of need; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recommit to
providing timely access to high-quality, recovery-oriented
mental health care to veterans, like Veterans Unstoppable,
especially when they are in crisis; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
the VALOR Clinic Foundation.
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