America

At the Armed Forces Foundation, our motto is serving those who serve. Everyday I am dedicated to help do what I can to ensure that the men and women in uniform are not forgotten. There are days where I get a call from a someone in need of financial aid to pay a mortgage, to pay medical bills, or just to have a normal life. I am about to go onto Capital Hill tomorrow with the Director of Public Affairs to sit on a Health Subcommittee. According to media reports based on Department of Veterans Affairs data, over the past 11 years, the number of patients treated by VA is up 29 percent, Additionally, VA prescriptions for opiates hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone and morphine have risen in 12 years by 270 percent  The rapid rise in VA prescriptions corresponds with data that indicates VA patients are dying of narcotics overdoses at twice the national average. And this week in is mental health awareness week in which we remember that everyone has a story.Sometimes we cannot forget. Like the men who sacrificed their lives on D Day. Or those who died to give the right to be free today.So this internship has taught me that the smallest things goes a long way, Whether it is doing constant research, calling potential sponsors, and working to get the funds that these brave men and women truely deserve. It will be an experience going into tomorrow and seeing first hand what is being done on a day to day basis to reassure that they are getting the correct treatment that they need to live the American dream.