An open letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committee Members on behalf service members and their families.

To the Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees,

In the face of the silent battles fought by our servicemen and women, the delayed release of the study required by Section 599 of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act on suicides by military job code represents more than a procedural oversight—it signifies a neglect of our sacred duty to support and understand the struggles within our military community.

A poignant reminder of this issue was shared by one of my podcast listeners, a former servicemember, who recently lost a good friend and fellow aircraft maintainer. This tragic loss is a stark illustration of the urgent need for comprehensive data and understanding that the delayed study promises to provide.

This study is not merely statistical data; it is a beacon of hope for those suffering in silence. It offers a chance for their experiences to be acknowledged and addressed. The continued delay in its release not only undermines this hope but exacerbates the sense of invisibility and despair among our service members.

Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, you are vested with a sacred duty to execute oversight authority over the Department of Defense. By not employing your full authority to expedite the release of this study, you become complicit in the ongoing delay. Moreover, the responsibility for each service member's suicide, in the absence of action, partly rests on your shoulders.

We urge you to fulfill your oversight role with the urgency and dedication it demands. Let us honor our commitment to those who serve by ensuring their struggles are not only heard but acted upon with immediate and decisive measures.

Suicide prevention is our collective responsibility, and it starts with giving voice to the voiceless and ensuring that no service member feels abandoned. Let this letter serve as a call to action: to prioritize the well-being of our military personnel above all and to remember the real human lives behind the data awaiting release.

Sincerely,

Chris McGhee, MSgt (ret), USAF

If you support this open letter, please share this with everyone you can.

Below you will find each representative, a link to their website, and the timestamp in the podcast for their phone call.

House Armed Services Committee Members

Congressman Mike Rogers Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 15:45 | Congressman Rogers has not provided a response at this time.

Congressman Adam Smith Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 16:43 | Congressman Smith has not provided a response at this time.

Congressman Joe Wilson Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 20:03 | Congressman Wilson has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Joe Courtney Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 21:55 | Congressman Courtney has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Mike Turner Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 24:15 | Congressman Turner has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman John Garamendi Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 26:36 | Congressman Garamendi has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Doug Lamborn Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 29:00 | Congressman Lamborn has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Donald Norcross Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 32:37 | Congressman Norcross has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Rob Wittman Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 34:52 | Congressman Wittman has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Ruben Gallego Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 36:49 | Congressman Gallego has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Seth Moulton Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 38:30 | Congressman Moulton has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Sam Graves Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 41:00 | Congressman Graves has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Salud Carbajal Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 43:06 | Congressman Carbajal has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 46:36 | Congresswoman Stefanik has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Ro Khanna Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 49:15 | Congressman Khanna has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Scott Desjarlais Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 50:53 | Congressman Desjarlais has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Bill Keating Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 54:19 | Congressman Keating has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Trent Kelly Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 56:06 | Congressman Kelly has not provided a comment in response at this time. However, we do not expect a response from Congressman Kelly because his staffer hung up on our call.

Congressman Andy Kim Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 58:06 | Congressman Kim has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Mike Gallagher Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:00:21 | Congressman Gallagher has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:01:53 | Congresswoman Houlahan has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Matt Gaetz Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:30:46 | Congressman Gaetz has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:04:14 | Congresswoman Slotkin has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Don Bacon Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:08:56 | Congressman Bacon has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:10:59 | Congresswoman Sherrill has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Jim Banks Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:15:17 | Congressman Banks has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:17:12 | Congresswoman Escobar has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Jack Bergman Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:19:03 | Congressman Berman has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Jared Golden Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:20:40 | Congressman Golden has not provided a comment in response at this time. Additionally, as I am a resident of Maine I reached out to Congressman Golden’s office the first workday after this report was due. Therefore, Congressman Golden was on-notice that this report was overdue, therefore he carries a heightened burden for this suicide.

Congressman Mike Waltz Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:22:22 | Congressman Waltz has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:24:06 | Congresswoman Jacobs has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Lisa McClain Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:25:38 | Congresswoman McClain has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:27:46 | Congresswoman Strickland has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Ronny Jackson Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:29:19 | Congressman Jackson has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Pat Ryan Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:31:06 | Congressman Ryan provided the following as a response: Thank you for contacting me to express your support for veterans. I sincerely appreciate your input as I work to represent your interests in Washington. Veterans and their families have made immense sacrifices for our rights and freedoms. Like you, I feel strongly that their health and well-being must never be threatened because of cumbersome bureaucracy or inaccessible services, nor should their pay and benefits be jeopardized because of partisanship and dysfunction in Washington. As a veteran myself, I am deeply committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of these brave men and women. Taking care of veterans and their families is a duty that I take very seriously. That is why the first bill I introduced in Congress was H.R. 8875, the Expanding Home Loans for Guard and Reservists Act. This bill will extend Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loans to more members of the National Guard and Reserve, correcting a gap in eligibility to members who have been called to active duty. I am immensely proud that the House of Representatives passed my bill on a bipartisan vote within three weeks of my swearing in to Congress. Likewise, I strongly support the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act. This bipartisan bill directs the VA to compile a public review of suicides by veterans in the last five years. This review will help us understand and address the mental health crisis facing our service men and women after they return home from war. Additionally, I am proud to support the Major Richard Star Act. This bill would allow over 50,000 combat-injured veterans to receive full disability compensation and retired pay. A grateful nation must honor the brave men and women in uniform that risk everything to defend our freedom. Ensuring the health and wellbeing of veterans is the duty of the federal government and I will continue to fight in support of our heroes. The commitment of our veterans, from one generation to the next, is why we all have the ability to assemble freely, speak freely, and worship freely. This is not so in every part of the world, and for that reason we must never take it for granted. Our veterans know that our cause, the cause of democracy – government for the people and by the people – is worth fighting for. Thank you again for reaching out to me on this important matter. To stay up to date on my work in Washington and the 18th district, sign up for my newsletter at https://patryan.house.gov/contact/newsletter-subscribe. If I can be of further assistance to you on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me or my office. Sincerely,

Congressman Pat Fallon Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:36:15 | Congressman Fallon has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Jeff Jackson Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:40:13 | Congressman Jackson has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:42:48 | Congressman Gimenez has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Gabe Vasquez Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:46:51 | Congressman Vasquez has not provided a comment in response at this time. Additionally, Congressman Vasquez is the representative for the regions including and around Holloman Air Force Base where there have been a significant number of suicides over the last 5 years.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:50:09 | Congresswoman Mace has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Chris Deluzio Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 1:56:23 | Congressman Deluzio has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Brad Finstad Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:00:12 | Congressman Finstad has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Jill Tokuda Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:01:54 | Congresswoman Tokuda has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Dale Strong Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:04:02 | Congressman Strong has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Don Davis Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:06:17 | Congressman Davis has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Morgan Luttrell Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:08:41 | Congressman Lutrell has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:10:28 | Congresswoman McClellan has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Jen Kiggans Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:13:00 | Congresswoman Kiggans has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congresswoman Terri Sewell Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:14:34 | Congresswoman Sewell has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Nick Lalota Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:16:02 | Congressman Lalota has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Steven Horsford Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:17:47 | Congressman Horsford has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman James Moylan Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:19:35 | Congressman Moylan has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Jimmy Panetta Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:21:35 | Congressman Panetta has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Mark Alford Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:23:21 | Congressman Alford has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Marc Veasey Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:24:39 | Congressman Veasey has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Cory Mills Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:26:00 | Congressman Mills has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Rich McCormick Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:27:43 | Congressman McCormick has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Congressman Lance Gooden Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:29:16 | Congressman Gooden has not provided a comment in response at this time.

Senate Armed Services Committee Members

Senator Jack Reed Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:32:16 | Senator Reed has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Roger Wicker Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:36:06 | Senator Wicker has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:39:18 | Senator Shaheen has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Deb Fischer Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:41:45 | Senator Fischer has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:43:19 | Senator Gillibrand has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Tom Cotton Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:49:17 | Senator Cotton has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Richard Blumenthal Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:51:03 | Senator Blumenthal has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Mike Rounds Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:54:13 | Senator Rounds has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Mazie Hirono Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:57:15 | Senator Hirono has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Joni Ernst Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 2:58:53 | Senator Ernst has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Tim Kaine Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 3:01:20 | Senator Kaine has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Dan Sullivan Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 3:05:16 | Senator Sullivan has not provided a comment in response at his time.

Senator Kevin Cramer Contact Link | Podcast Time Stamp 3:06:44 | Senator Cramer has not provided a comment in response at his time.