Recognizing Efforts of Welcome Back Veterans

Floor Speech

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Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to offer my enthusiastic endorsement of H. Res. 1746, recognizing and supporting the efforts of the non-profit organization, Welcome Back Veterans, in supplementing the world-class care that the Departments of Defense and Veterans' Affairs offer to our returning troops. The grassroots efforts of Welcome Back Veterans, Major League Baseball and the Boston Red Sox Foundation are testaments to the strength of the American spirit and patriotism.

We all owe our veterans a debt of gratitude that we cannot repay easily or quickly. As civilians, we will likely never be able to understand the sacrifice our veterans have made to safeguard the freedom we enjoy, the freedom that makes our Nation the greatest in the world. We can, however, honor our servicemembers by following the examples of Welcome Back Veterans by providing the resources they need to be healthy.

Major League Baseball also deserves praise for supporting the Welcome Back program for supporting the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder research being done at Massachusetts General in Boston, Weill Cornell in New York, the University of Michigan and Stanford University in California. These institutions have also moved into previously uncharted space by providing supportive services to the families of patients suffering from PTSD.

Additionally, the League recently honored service men and women on Veteran's Day. I'm fortunate to represent a veteran who made significant contributions to World War II and Major League Baseball, Hall of Fame Cleveland Indians' pitcher Bob Feller. Mr. Feller was the first major leaguer to volunteer for active duty, enlisting in the Navy on Dec. 9, 1941, two days after Pearl Harbor and 36 days after his 23rd birthday. After surviving some of the most violent, and important sea battles of the war, Feller returned to the Indians and finished his career with 266 wins and 2,581 strikeouts. Mr. Feller, without a doubt, was a phenomenal athlete and still is a true patriot. The League's honor of him and the other veterans reminds us not to take for granted the freedom to have a national pastime.

I am proud of all the veterans in my Congressional District, and in America. Many of these men and women shoulder the psychological burden of war long after they return home, and we must not let them do so alone. Thanks to the efforts of the Boston Red Sox Foundation, Major League Baseball, McCormick Foundation, Entertainment Industry Foundation and University Hospitals at Weill Cornell, the University of Michigan and Stanford University through Welcome Back Veterans and executive agencies, we are making sure our service men and women enjoy the quality of life they so bravely defended. Again, I applaud these efforts, and challenge members of Congress to continuously build public-private partnerships that advance the treatment of PTSD.

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