dr. petzel.colonel porter. >> chairman sanders, ranking member burr, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you to discuss the army's initiatives to improve soldier readiness and resilience. i'd like to have my full statement entered into the record. the united states army has fought for over 1 is years -- 11 years, the longest period of conflict in our nation's history. the persistent nature of conflict during this period have tested the capabilities and the resilience of our soldiers and the army as an institution and of our supporting families. taking care of our own mentally, emotionally and physically is the foundation of the army's culture and ethos. the army is keenly aware of the unique stress facing soldiers and families today and continues to address these issues on several fronts. the army's ready and resilient campaign plan and behavioral health service line are two initiatives that address stressors and improve resilience. from preclini

dr. petzel. i mentioned in opening remarks that as we end temperature years of war in iraq and 11 in afghanistan or so, the cost of war, i think, is heavier and more tragic than many people realize. i have to start with a simple question. i don't know if you have the answer in front of you. when we're talking about post post-traumatic stress disorder, with we talk about traumatic brain injury, how many human beings are we talking about suffering from these illnesses? >> thank you, mr. chairman. right now, va is taking care of slightly over 500,000 people with post-traumatic stress disorder. >> stop right there. 500,000 returning soldiers? >> correct, not just returning. this is the whole population, mr. chairman. >> not just iraq and information? >> i was about to get to iraq. >> okay. >> we have about 119,000 people from the present conflicts that carry the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. >> okay. there's an issue, not just the huge number, giving us an indication of the e norty of