Senator John Walsh Introduces Legislation to Combat Veteran Suicide

Senator John Walsh joined with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Thursday to introduce landmark legislation to combat suicides among veterans.

Walsh, who led an infantry battalion in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, shared his personal experience as well as introduced the Suicide Prevention for America's Veterans Act during the IAVA’s National Day of Action.

"We've waited too long to take on this action," Walsh said. "We need to work together, come together, to solve this problem."

Veterans and supporters placed roughly 2,000 American flags on the National Mall representing the number of veterans and service members estimated to have died by suicide to date in 2014.
"We're having approximately 22 of our fellow veterans are dying by suicide each and every day here in the United States," Walsh said. "That's an epidemic we can't allow to continue. But we can't do it alone. It's going to take work from every one of us, all Americans, to solve this problem."

Montana Senator Jon Tester, a longtime champion for Montana’s veterans, is cosponsoring Walsh’s legislation.