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The-- The VA is an organization
that has a mission to protect

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and to serve the needs
of our veterans,

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those who go and are willing
to sacrifice all for our country.

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And unfortunately what we're
seeing is that even after

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all of these years --both in the
post 9/11 era of veterans

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but also with Vietnam veterans,
Korean War veterans,

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those who've come before us--
the-- the services are still

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falling short.

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And this area of post-
traumatic stress I think

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is one of the main areas
where that's true.

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There continues to be a
stigma around this,

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whether people are willing
to admit it or not,

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both within the military and
also with people transition back to

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their civilian lives.

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I've experienced it through some
of my friends who I've served with,

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who've come home really, really
struggling and

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having a hard time finding the best
place that can really help them.

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This is one of the drivers
behind the continued rate

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of veterans' suicide that we're
seeing in our country and

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shows that we have to take
a more holistic approach,

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and this is what I would
lead as president,

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where as a veteran I understand 
in a deeply personal way

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who pays the price for war
and how heavy that price is,

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and will ensure that our VA
leaves no veteran behind,

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that every single veteran gets
the care that they need.

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And as we look at post-
traumatic stress,

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there are many different levels
of how it impacts people

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on a whole spectrum.

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Some very, very extreme situations;
some may be less extreme.

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But every person heals and finds
their therapy and their path forward

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in a different way.

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And as a VA, as a government,
as a society,

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we need to be able to help
support that-- that journey.

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I-- I had a woman who'd work
for me in my congressional office.

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She's a military spouse.
Her husband had many deployments

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and had been exposed to some
of the most extreme environments

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and situations that really had a--
deeply, deeply impacted him.

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He got to the point where he
couldn't fly, he couldn't travel.

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And they didn't know what to do
to be able to help him.

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He didn't want to just take drugs
to try to numb the pain.

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And for him, their breakthrough
happened when they had a plant

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that was dying on their front step.

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And he was home, and he just
started watering the plant.

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Taking care of the plant,
trimming the plant.

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And starting to bring this plant
back to life.

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And he experiences, as well
as his wife saw, that that was

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awakening something in him
that had been lost for a long time.

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Long story short, now they have
a farm with many acres.

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He has found his path towards
peace by working the land

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and is inviting other veterans
there to come and join him,

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and finding that connection with the
earth, and growing food and plants

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as a way forward for them.

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Meditation is something others
are finding.

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Working with animals, horses, dogs.

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Others-- others through surfing,
actually. I've-- I've been surfing with

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severely wounded warriors,
disabled veterans, and others

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who are finding their
empowerment once again

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in the ocean, and it's
an incredible thing.

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We've gotta support this
holistic approach to actually

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treating the root cause
rather than just seeing

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mental health treatment and
treatment for post-traumatic stress

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as something that can only
be responded to with more drugs.