Advocating for Our Military Men and Women

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advocate for our military men and women and their families and the work that needs to be done to improve their quality of life.

As a former Navy helicopter pilot, Navy spouse, and now-Navy mom, taking care of our military members is one of my top priorities. We can do better for our military, and there is much work to do.

Two weeks ago, I attended the funeral of Navy Commander Doug Morea. A Naval Academy graduate, Doug was an F-18 pilot who led a squadron during a recent 9\1/2\-month deployment on the USS Truman.

He died by suicide, and his death was one of seven naval aviator suicides since July of last year. As I stood in the parking lot talking to base leadership after his funeral, I asked: Why? Why do we continue to see so many military suicides and the number rise?

The base commanding officer spoke about the pressure even senior officers feel to care for their people, including the most junior sailor. Our country continues to ask our military, and specifically our Navy, to do missions around the world to keep the peace and defend the freedoms we hold dear.

In order for our military men and women to complete this mission, we must provide resources they need to do their job. That begins with ensuring they have the quality of life they deserve.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source