PREFACE: I recently had an opportunity to take a public speaking course at the State Department and one of the assignments was to write a congressional testimony. It was a really cool experience, and there’s even a video of me giving this speech which I’ll share soon as I can get a copy, but in the meantime, I thought you might appreciate the draft.
Hello Chairwoman, ranking member, distinguished members of the committee. My name is Justin Willeau and I’m honored to be speaking with you today. I would like to express my immense gratitude up-front that you’re dedicating time to the critical issue of veterans’ mental health. For many the transition between active duty and the civilian world is as stark as any they have experienced in their lives, and it’s often something they feel they are experiencing alone. My hope is that every breath of air given to this conversation can aid in their recovery, or perhaps even save a life. So thank you again for your time.
I’m a 17-year Navy veteran, and I continue to serve in the reserves. I can personally speak to several of the most trying times in the mental health of a veteran: leaving active duty, returning from a deployment, losing a battle buddy, to say nothing of the general moral injury that comes from spending so much time in proximity to the horrors of war.
My first assignment was with the submarine service, which is ironic because to this day, I’ve spent more time under the sea than on top of it. The submarine service is a storied force that played a pivotal role in WW2, and as a community, it’s deliberate about honoring that history. At the annual ball, the ceremony is commenced with the ringing of a bell, and a moment of silence, for each submarine lost in US history, in chronological order. The name of the boat is called out with the date it was sunk and the number of souls onboard. And the room…… is still. You’ve never heard silence like this. And this goes on for twenty minutes and includes some boats that were never found.
You see, what most people don't understand about military service is that it's not just another job. The risks are too high for that. I don't imagine Google or Apple perform such a ceremony at their annual events. There aren’t a whole lot of software engineers drifting off into the night.
Servicemembers, regardless of branch, share a common sincerity of duty and purpose that makes that level of risk seem reasonable. It helps rationalize the risk to ourselves, and attempt to explain it to others, but it’s a decision that affects us long after when we take off the uniform. It's a career that asks a lot of you, of your soul, and sometimes we don't know how to get it back when we're done. That’s a cost that cannot be measured, not in time or money.
It’s also a cost that can affect all servicemembers, even those who have not seen combat. We need more and better services for veterans. We need access to care, especially in rural areas where veterans may go to find peace, and we need to ensure that those leaving the service are aided in their transition to civilian life.
Thank you