,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #bbj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #bc  
7legislative day1 ,may #bb71 #bjai,mr4  
,sullivan 7for himself1 ,mr4            
,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,ms4         
,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4 ,murphy1   
,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4    
,moran1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,daines1 ,mr4 
,bennet1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 ,mr4 ,tester1    
,mr4 ,crapo1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4          
,grassley1 ,ms4 ,hassan1 ,mr4 ,hoeven1  
,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,ms4     
,klobuchar1 ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith1 ,mrs4   
,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,young1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 
,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4        
,roberts1 ,mr4 ,leahy1 ,mrs4 ,capito1   
,ms4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,reed1
 and ,mr4 ,booker7 submitted the        
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on the ,judiciary    
,,resolution  ,designating the month of 
,june #bjai as ,national                
,post-,traumatic ,stress ,awareness     
,month and ,june #bg1 #bjai1 as         

,national ,post-,traumatic ,stress      
,awareness ,day4  ,whereas the brave men
 and women of the ,armed ,forces1 who   
proudly serve the ,united ,states1 risk 
their lives to protect the freedom of   
the people of the ,united ,states and   
deserve the investment of every possible
 resource to ensure their lasting       
physical1 mental1 and emotional         
well-being2 ,whereas more than          
#b1ggj1jjj members of the ,armed ,forces
 have deployed overseas since the events
 of ,september #aa1 #bjja1 and have     
served in places such as ,afghanistan   
and ,iraq2 ,whereas the current         
generation of men and women in the      
,armed ,forces has sustained a high rate
 of operational deployments1 with many  
members of the ,armed ,forces serving   
overseas multiple times1 placing those  
members at high risk of experiencing    
combat stress2 ,whereas1 when left      
untreated1 exposure to traumatic combat 
stress can lead to post-traumatic       
stress1 sometimes referred to as        

post-traumatic stress disorder 7in this 
preamble referred to as 8,,ptsd07 or    
post-traumatic stress injury2 ,whereas  
men and women of the ,armed ,forces and 
veterans who served before ,september   
#aa1 #bjja1 remain at risk for          
post-traumatic stress2 ,whereas the     
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs reports
 that approximately-- 7#a7 #aa to #bj   
percent of veterans who served in       
,operation ,iraqi ,freedom or ,operation
 ,enduring ,freedom have ,,ptsd in a    
given year2  7#b7 #ab percent of        
veterans who served in the ,persian     
,gulf ,war have ,,ptsd in a given year2 
and  7#c7 #cj percent of veterans who   
served in the ,vietnam era have had     
,,ptsd in their lifetimes2  ,whereas    
many combat stress injuries remain      
unreported1 undiagnosed1 and untreated  
due to a lack of awareness about        
post-traumatic stress and the persistent
 stigma associated with mental health   
conditions2 ,whereas exposure to trauma 
during service in the ,armed ,forces can

 lead to post-traumatic stress2 ,whereas
 post-traumatic stress significantly    
increases the risk of anxiety1          
depression1 suicide1 homelessness1 and  
drug- and alcohol-related disorders and 
deaths1 especially if left untreated2   
,whereas public perceptions of          
post-traumatic stress or other mental   
health disorders create unique          
challenges for veterans seeking         
employment2 ,whereas the ,department of 
,defense1 the ,department of ,veterans  
,affairs1 and veterans service          
organizations1 as well as the larger    
medical community1 both private and     
public1 have made significant advances  
in the identification1 prevention1      
diagnosis1 and treatment of             
post-traumatic stress and the symptoms  
of post-traumatic stress1 but many      
challenges remain2 ,whereas increased   
understanding of post-traumatic stress  
can help eliminate the stigma attached  
to this mental health issue2 ,whereas   
additional efforts are needed to find   

further ways to eliminate the stigma    
associated with post-traumatic stress1  
including--  7#a7 an examination of how 
post-traumatic stress is discussed in   
the ,united ,states2 and  7#b7 a        
recognition that post-traumatic stress  
is a common injury that is treatable2   
,whereas post-traumatic stress can      
result from any number of stressors     
other than combat1 including rape1      
sexual assault1 battery1 torture1       
confinement1 child abuse1 car accidents1
 train wrecks1 plane crashes1 bombings1 
or natural disasters1 and affects       
approximately #h1jjj1jjj adults in the  
,united ,states annually2 ,whereas the  
diagnosis now known as ,,ptsd was first 
defined by the ,american ,psychiatric   
,association in #aihj to commonly and   
more accurately understand and treat    
veterans who had endured severe         
traumatic combat stress2 ,whereas the   
word disorder perpetuates the stigma    
associated with combat stress2 and      
,whereas the designation of a ,national 

,post-,traumatic ,stress ,awareness     
,month and a ,national ,post-,traumatic 
,stress ,awareness ,day will raise      
public awareness about issues related to
 post-traumatic stress1 reduce the      
associated stigma1 and help ensure that 
those individuals suffering from the    
invisible wounds of war receive proper  
treatment3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that
 the ,senate-- 7#a7 designates ,june    
#bjai as ,national ,post-,traumatic     
,stress ,awareness ,month and ,june #bg1
 #bjai1 as ,national ,post-,traumatic   
,stress ,awareness ,day2  7#b7 supports 
the efforts of the ,secretary of        
,veterans ,affairs and the ,secretary of
 ,defense1 as well as the entire medical
 community1 to educate members of the   
,armed ,forces1 veterans1 the families  
of members of the ,armed ,forces and    
veterans1 and the public about the      
causes1 symptoms1 and treatment of      
post-traumatic stress2  7#c7 supports   
efforts by the ,secretary of ,veterans  
,affairs and the ,secretary of ,defense 

to foster cultural change around the    
issue of post-traumatic stress1         
understanding that personal interactions
 can save lives and advance treatment2  
7#d7 welcomes the efforts of the        
,national ,center for ,post-,traumatic  
,stress ,disorder of the ,department of 
,veterans ,affairs and local ,vet       
,centers 7as defined in section         
#agab;,a7h7 of title #ch1 ,united       
,states ,code7 to provide assistance to 
veterans who are suffering from the     
effects of post-traumatic stress2  7#e7 
encourages officers of the ,armed       
,forces to support appropriate treatment
 of men and women of the ,armed ,forces 
who suffer from post-traumatic stress2  
7#f7 recognizes the impact of           
post-traumatic stress on the spouses and
 families of members of the ,armed      
,forces and veterans2 and  7#g7         
respectfully requests that the          
,secretary of the ,senate transmit a    
copy of this resolution to the          
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs and the

 ,secretary of ,defense4