Lawrence
In 2011 I lost one of my friends and fellow Marines, Clay Hunt, to suicide. He was only 28 years old. Twenty-two veterans like Clay take their own lives everyday because they don't have the care they need after returning from the battlefield. A bill in Congress named after Clay will give them the care they deserve.
The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for America's Veterans Act will improve the accessibility and effectiveness of mental health care available to our returning heroes. The bill has bipartisan support from lawmakers around the country and would have passed this week , but one lone Senator, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, stopped it from passing.
Sen. Coburn is serving his final days in Congress and won't be able to stand in the way of helping our veterans next year. We need to act now to get this bill passed.
Clay earned a Purple Heart after he was shot in the wrist by a snipe's bullet that barely missed his head in Iraq. Like so many of our veterans, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home and relied on the VA for his medical care. But his treatment was inadequate -- he was constantly dealing with delays and having prescription drugs pushed on him instead of counseling. The VA even lost his files once.
The Clay Hunt SAV Act will increase access to mental health care by creating a peer support and community outreach pilot program to assist transitioning service members to better meet the demand for mental health care.
Clay left behind two loving parents and many friends. Not another friend, parent, sister or brother should experience losing a fellow veteran to suicide
Semper Fi,
Anthony Pike
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
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