Veterans group was pushing lawmakers for more mental health counselors for soldiers

November 5, 2009 (Austin American-Statesman) Just as the tragedy was unfolding at Fort Hood, officials from a veterans group based in Austin were meeting in Washington with the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee to plead for more mental health counselors for U.S. soldiers coming home from war.

“I’m very upset. I’m at the point of tears,” said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, who lives in Austin.

“We warned the military about this. We warned the military about the need to increase the number of mental health care providers. We warned the military about lowering recruiting standards, about the medical exams for soldiers coming back from the war and needing mental health care and brain injury exams.”

“We have been working tirelessly to try to prevent this from happening,” he said. “This is so horrible. This is a tragedy.”

The Senate staff meeting was not interrupted with the news from Fort Hood, Sullivan said. Rather, he learned of the mass shootings when he stepped into the corridor after the meeting and saw 13 messages on his phone.

During the meeting on Capitol Hill, Veterans for Common Sense and Swords to Plowshares, based in San Francisco, noted that the military suicide rate for 2009 is on track to set a record.

“This is going to be a major trauma for veterans, reminding them of the war,” he said. “We encourage them, if they are experiencing difficulty, to seek care at the V.A.”

He urged anyone traumatized to call the U.S. military’s suicide prevention hotline, (800) 342-9647, or the national suicide prevention line at (800) 273-8255.

“We hope that the military leadership takes this incident very seriously and increases access to mental health care. There are community groups that are offering to help fill the gap because the miitary lacks enough doctors to provide care."