Petition to the Chairpersons of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees

We, the undersigned, submit this petition as concerned citizens on behalf of the men and women who have served—and continue to serve—in the Vietnam, Korea, Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran war conflicts.

These active duty members, Veterans, and their families have carried the burden of defending our nation. Many now carry another burden as well: the psychological and moral injuries associated with military service.

Despite growing awareness of this issue, critical gaps remain within the nation’s military mental healthcare system.

Today:

– The United States Military has no designated Mental Health Corps.
– Mental health stigma continues to discourage service members from seeking care.
– The U.S. lacks a comprehensive national transition program for returning service members.
– No federal policy mandates development, organization and funding of such a program.

The consequences of these gaps are devastating.

For more than a decade, the United States has reported an estimated 20–22 military-related suicides per day. Over the course of the above-mentioned war conflicts, suicide deaths have significantly outpaced combat deaths.

This is not only a public health crisis—it is also a national defense issue. A nation that asks its citizens to serve must also ensure that they have access to the support necessary to heal.

We therefore respectfully call upon the Chairpersons of the Armed Services Committees to lead a coordinated effort within Congress and the Department of Defense to address America’s military mental health crisis with urgency and resolve.

The following actions reflect decades of research, evidence-based studies, as well as recommendations already identified within Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs findings.

Recommended Actions

1. Establish a Military Mental Health Corps
Create a designated Mental Health Corps within the United States Military to ensure consistent, specialized psychological care for on duty service members and Veterans.

2. Implement and Enforce Anti-Stigma Policy
Adopt a robust military-wide policy and training program that actively removes stigma and encourages service members to seek mental health support.

3. Reform Deployment Practices
Review and limit the number and duration of repeated deployments to reduce cumulative psychological strain.

4. Restore a Comprehensive Military-to-Civilian Transition Program
Reestablish a national reentry program modeled on the successful World War II transition framework implemented under Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Resource reference: “Let There Be Light.”

5. Ensure Access to Evidence-Based Treatment
Guarantee that active-duty service members, Veterans, and their families have access to evidence-based therapies consistent with the joint VA/DoD PTSD treatment guidelines.

6. Expand the Mental Health Workforce
Increase the recruitment, education incentives and training of licensed mental health professionals—including marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors and clinical psychologists—to meet the scale of need.

America’s service members demonstrate extraordinary courage in defending this nation. They deserve a mental healthcare system that reflects the same level of commitment to their total wellbeing.

We respectfully urge both Armed Services Committees to treat this crisis with the priority it requires and to lead the effort in implementing lasting solutions.

The lives of our Military community depend upon it.

Respectfully,

The Petitioners

RESOURCES

1. Recommended_Corrective_Actions_for_Fixing_Military_Mental_Healthcare
2. Behavioral Health Corps_Proposed_Policy
3. Let There Be Light

As Another Immediate Action, Please Consider Making a Tax Deductible Contribution To:

 “WELCOME HOME” a documentary-in-progress

 “Welcome Home” is our film team’s current documentary project underway. Our vision for this film was born entirely from our journey making “Stranger At Home”. Through that process we grasped the full understanding that a comprehensive national reentry program for those transitioning from military life to civilian life is essential if we are to end our Military mental health crisis. There’s been no comprehensive program since the end of WW2.

The story of “Welcome Home” shows what’s possible through tremendous siloed efforts — regional programs dedicated to welcoming soldiers back with direction, mentorship, access to mental and physical healthcare, job opportunities and more. “Welcome Home” asks the larger question: What would it look like to unify and model these efforts to create a national program; with federal policy that ensures its development, organization and sustained funding?

To assist “Welcome Home” with completion funding use the donate button below.