Washington- Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn has introduced a bill that would create a pilot program to support soldiers as they transition to civilian life.
Congressman Nunn tells Radio Iowa that the suicide rate among Iowa veterans in the first 12 months after leaving the military is four times higher than the national average.
“We don’t have a military installation here, so when folks leave the front line and come back home, short of joining one of our guard units or one of the veterans’ posts, the American Legion, it can feel really isolating,” Nunn says.
The bill is named in honor of marines from Iowa and Rhode Island who served together in Afghanistan and died by suicide within an year of leaving the military.
“These were two individuals who were in combat zones, came home and what this bill aims to do is recognize not only are you not alone, but you have a resource immediately available to you,” Nunn says. “It’s not just for those who may be susceptible to suicide, it’s for every member getting out to remind them: ‘Hey, let’s check in with my wing man. Let’s see how our battle buddy is doing,’ and make sure that we do those calls because in that 12 months immediately after a removal from a combat zone is when they’re most vulnerable.”
The bill would set up 10 pilot projects that would counsel exiting servicemembers about the challenges that they might face as a civilian and how that might affect their mental health.
Part of the pilot project would include group counseling sessions about things that may remind veterans of combat. The bill would require local VA hospitals to offer mental health counseling for all veterans within 90 days of their exit from the military.
The bill has co-sponsors from both the Republican and Democratic parties.
