Cicilline gives vets words of assurance
Government officials say they have veterans’ backs during city forum
PAWTUCKET — With an audience of about 150 veterans and their family members congregating under the pavilion at Slater Memorial Park on a rainy Saturday afternoon, U.S. Congressman David Cicilline and his partners in federal and state government assured the heroes seated before them that they would never stop beating the drum for the rights of veterans.
The community conversation and barbecue lunch provided veterans with a direct line to speak with their congressmen or an avenue to receive information from various agencies such as Veteran Service Corps or the Rhode Island Office of Veteran Affairs. With the Ocean State a home to more than 70,000 veterans, Saturday's event served as an opportunity for a few of them to hear what is happening related to their health and affairs.
Cicilline said it is his responsibility in representing Rhode Island on the federal level to accomplish all that he can to ensure veterans have everything they need – including access to good-paying jobs, services for returning to civilian life, quality health care, and assistance to find housing. The congressman also offered an update on what is being done in the nation's capital to achieve those goals.
He said that he is working on legislation that would pro-
“We are a service committed to serving those who served, those that continue to serve (and) those as they transition back to Rhode Island.” —Kasim Yarn, director of Rhode Island’s Office of Veterans Affairs
vide “justice for service members,” saying that a number of employers nationally are making active duty employees sign a contract that waives their right to return to a job after being deployed. He said the legislation would prohibit those kinds of waivers “so veterans can never again lose their job when activated for duty.”
One of the most serious issues, Cicilline said, is veteran suicide, as he stated that about 20 veterans commit suicide every day and in 2004 alone, more than 7,400 veterans committed suicide – accounting for 18 percent of all suicides that year.
Calling it a “really serious epidemic,” Cicilline said he led a letter in the House of Representatives that insists that the veteran crisis hotline be fully funded. The funding for a dedicated hotline would ensure that a voice would be on the other end of the line rather than a hold signal or recording. He also said that among the most effective strategies with helping veterans cope with issues is connecting them to service organizations such as the VFW.
“Understand services are available for our veterans, that's part of what I hope we accomplish today,” Cicilline said. “To understand resources are available and making sure there is not a single veteran in our community that doesn’t have all the support and assistance they need to lead happy, safe, and productive lives.”
U.S. Congressman James R. Langevin, like Cicilline before him, outlined his work in Congress to support veterans. He said that he was proud to give his approval to a bill that gives the Veterans Affairs secretary the tools he needs to bring more accountability to the VA hospitals around the country. While he said Rhode Island has dedicated veterans affairs and a hospital that routinely receives positive feedback, he understands there are provisions that are long overdue nationally.
Langevin also championed objectives such as spending dedicated to research into traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries to “better treat our wounded warriors, help them get back up to speed and into society.” He also said the Military Veterans Caregiver Services Improvement Act was reintroduced, a bill that would expand services to 5.5 million spouses, parents, and children who care for our nation's veterans.
Langevin, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the veterans in attendance: “We can never underestimate how extraordinary your service has been.” He said that in his interactions with enlisted men and women, he's learned of the “incredible dedication our men and women in uniform have. It reaffirms my respect for each of you. You put yourselves in harm’s way, you're willing to go overseas, it really truly is inspiring and I cannot say thank you enough.”
Kasim J. Yarn, the director of Rhode Island's Office of Veterans Affairs, asked the assembled crowd to look around and take in the entire day.
“A city, veteran services organizations, our National Guard, our benefits office, our Providence VA medical center, our Congressional leadership, our General Assembly, our town managers, our veterans services officers, our families … Those are the things that define us,” Yarn said. “I say this numerous times and continue to bang that drum: veteran affairs will never be defined by what I do. We are a service committed to serving those that served, those that continue to serve (and) those as they transition back to Rhode Island.”
Yarn said that his office is getting more calls than ever from people asking questions and looking to leaders for answers. He said that's his job but there's still work to be done. “But only together can we do this thing called veteran affairs,” he said.
Following the speaking program, Cicilline presented lapel pins to about 40 Vietnam War veterans, saying that Congress in 2012 authorized the distribution of the Vietnam veteran pins.