Whereas the brave men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States (in this preamble referred to as the “Armed Forces”), who proudly serve the United States, risk their lives to protect the freedom of the people of the United States and deserve the investment of every possible resource to ensure their lasting physical, mental, and emotional well-being; Whereas more than 3,000,000 members of the Armed Forces have deployed overseas since the events of September 11, 2001, and have served in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq; Whereas the current generation of military men and women has sustained a historically high rate of operational deployments, with many members of the Armed Forces serving overseas multiple times, placing those members at high risk of experiencing combat stress; Whereas, when left untreated, exposure to traumatic combat stress can lead to post-traumatic stress, sometimes referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder (in this preamble referred to as “PTSD”) or post-traumatic stress injury; Whereas men and women of the Armed Forces and veterans who served before September 11, 2001, remain at risk for post-traumatic stress; Whereas the Secretary of Veterans Affairs reports that— (1) about 11 to 20 percent of veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom have PTSD in a given year; (2) about 12 percent of Gulf War veterans have PTSD in a given year; and (3) about 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD in their lifetimes; Whereas many combat stress injuries remain unreported, undiagnosed, and untreated due to a lack of awareness about post-traumatic stress and the persistent stigma associated with mental health conditions; Whereas exposure to military trauma can lead to post-traumatic stress; Whereas post-traumatic stress significantly increases the risk of anxiety, depression, suicide, homelessness, and drug- and alcohol-related disorders and deaths, especially if left untreated