The impromptu YouTube video made by Clay Hunt's mom and stepdad last month wasn't meant to be a tear-jerker. But it's hard to watch the footage without being affected by the raw, emotional pain the couple shares.
Hunt, a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, took his own life in 2011 after struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. In mid-December, a much-needed bill named after the young Texan, one that would improve veterans' mental health care and access to it, was poised to easily clear the U.S. Senate after unanimously passing the House. Then it hit a roadblock by the name of Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican known as "Dr. No" for both his medical degree and his willingness to single-handedly kill bills through procedural gamesmanship.
The last-ditch video by Susan and Richard Selke was shot near Coburn's office as they became aware that he had concerns about the bill's expense, $22 million over five years, and necessity. Hoping Coburn would see the video, Selke asks the senator, as a fellow father, to reconsider.
"I know there are things in there [the bill] that might have saved Clay's life, might have saved some other veteran's life,'' Selke said, clearly struggling to hold back tears. "It's on your back. This is personal. Please, please don't say no."
But Coburn didn't budge, and the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act (SAV) died as the lame-duck session came to a close. Now, with the new Congress only a few weeks old and Coburn retired, the nation's political leaders have a chance to do right by Clay's family and the nation's veterans and swiftly pass this critical legislation.
Parents like the Selkes shouldn't be forced to plead for the medical care their military sons and daughters have earned. SAV is an important step to ensure that they get the care they deserve, especially the mental health treatment that modern medicine now recognizes as critical to a successful return to civilian life.
Minnesota, a state that has seen many of its young men and women serve multiple deployments, has a big stake in the legislation's passage. It's fitting that one of its strongest advocates is Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat who represents southern Minnesota.
Walz, who served 24 years in the National Guard before retiring as a command sergeant major, worked with a bipartisan group of House colleagues to quickly reintroduce the legislation this year. Other key congressional champions are Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. Miller is the influential chair of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
