Articles

Murder In The Capitol: Honor The Fallen And Improve Mental Health (Forbes)


FORBES | Twenty years ago tomorrow was one of the most memorable days in my U.S. Senate career. And it haunts me still.

It doesn’t mark the anniversary of major legislation being signed or a bipartisan deal being struck. Rather, July 24, 1998, was the day our U.S. Capitol building was attacked by a mentally ill, armed individual who took the lives of two members of federal law enforcement, who daily defended lawmakers such as me, and citizens until their last breath. The images are vivid, because I was there.

On this anniversary, I reverentially reflect on the heroic sacrifices our men and women in uniform make every day. And as a physician, I’m prompted again to consider the discouraging state of mental health in America, and especially the poor care too many of those who suffer from mental illness today receive.

Read more at Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/billfrist/2018/07/23/murder-in-the-capitol-honor-the-fallen-and-improve-mental-health/#7bf2507825e3