From the Modern Whig Party website:
Modern Whig Party Deputy Director of Veterans and Active Duty Affairs Matthew Benedict shares his views on the effect of the Movie American Sniper and on pending legislation to support veterans. His post follows this introduction:
There has been a lot of debate about the movie American Sniper between commentators and the public which has brought attention to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. There is no doubt in my mind that the paid political pundits generally do not care about veterans-Left or Right. We are a springboard or object to spread whatever political beliefs that are accommodating to their viewpoint. But for whatever is said with over a decade of war the general public is finally truly starting to look at veterans and the issues they face. The general public that went to watch the movie might not have had a connection with the less than 1% of Americans that fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan, but when people felt the pain and joy of Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of Chris Kyle it was hard to ignore us anymore.
It is our time to use this to educate and take advantage of this moment in time. We have get out there and push for better legislation for veterans. There are a few bills that are in Congress right now that I feel would help veterans. One of the major pieces of legislation that would address the mental health capacity and scope is The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act (H.R. 5059) According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) website the main points will:
● Increase access to mental health care by, among other things, creating a peer support and community outreach pilot program to assist transitioning service members as well as a one-stop, interactive website of available resources.
● Better meet the demand for mental health care by starting a pilot program to repay the loan debt of students in psychiatry so it is easier to recruit them to work at the VA.
● Boost the accountability of mental health care by requiring an annual evaluation of DoD and VA suicide-prevention practices and programs.
There is also bipartisan support to give Wounded Warriors(30 percent or more VA disability) 104 hours of paid sick leave for Federal employees, so that medical appointment can be made and attended by veterans. This would allow a new Federal employee to start off with sick leave instead of accruing it over time.
Lastly, I think it is our responsibility to get out there and explain our experience, as Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Gulf War, or Peace Time veterans. People need to hear our stories and our opinions. We all have had different experiences that are vital for Americans and the world to know.