Sen. Cruz: We Must Honor the Promises Our Nation Has Made to Our Brave Veterans

HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today toured two veterans' organizations in Houston: Camp Hope and Combined Arms. His visits are part of weeklong tour across Texas, where he is meeting with various veterans groups to hear their ideas and concerns.

Camp Hope is a facility that provides interim housing and recovery programs for wounded warriors, veterans and their families suffering from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Following his tour, Sen. Cruz participated in a roundtable discussion with executives, employees and current residents.

Still photos of Sen. Cruz's visit at Camp Hope may be viewed here.

"I was honored to visit with some of our nation's finest heroes this morning," Sen. Cruz said. "These men and women have served our nation with unparalleled dignity, honor and sacrifice. And when they return home, these brave men and women bear the marks of war, whether seen or unseen. I was humbled to hear the stories of valorous warriors who are taking their first steps towards defeating the unseen wounds of battle. Those who defended us so honorably must never be forgotten, and it is our solemn duty to ensure our veterans receive the best possible care. I am grateful for our friends at Camp Hope, and the services they are providing to offer healing and another chance at life for veterans and their families suffering with PTSD and other combat related injuries."

Later in the day, Sen. Cruz toured Combined Arms, a nonprofit focused on developing a collaborative network of veteran organizations in order to best support and assist transitioning military veterans and their families in the Houston area. Following his tour, Sen. Cruz participated in a roundtable discussion with members of various veterans' organizations within Combined Arm's collaborative network.

Still photos of Sen. Cruz's visit at Combined Arms may be viewed here.

"Combined Arms is committed to ensuring our nation's brave servicemen and women are receiving the resources available to them and raising awareness of the needs within the military community," Sen. Cruz said. "I was honored to visit with these dedicated men and women and learn more about their organizations, and the services they offer to our nation's heroes."

"We are excited to introduce Senator Cruz to our collaborative network of 34 veteran serving organizations (VSO) at the Combined Arms Transition Center and the innovative way we are improving the delivery of services to veterans via our Integrated Technology System," executive director Kelly Land said. "We also look forward to hearing about policy changes and how they will affect veterans and their families in Greater Houston."

Camp Hope opened in 2012, and has provided veterans and their immediate family members find healing, help and hope. Participants benefit from an intensive peer support and mentoring program for Post-Traumatic Stress. In addition to temporary housing, Camp Hope offers a 90+ day PTSD recovery program in which residents: attend group lessons and support sessions with other combat veterans; conduct individual mentoring sessions with certified combat trauma mentors; participate in off-site small group interaction activities and get involved with local churches, businesses and volunteer organizations to assist in their personal healing and educating the community on the invisible wounds of war.

Combined Arms is a forward-thinking nonprofit that is committed to unleashing the impact of veterans on Houston. Through streamlined assessments and customized resources based on individual veteran needs, Combined Arms is simplifying and accelerating the connection point between veterans and resources. Combined Arms deploys a data-driven approach and a collaborative, connected model of service delivery so that veterans and the community are united after the uniform.

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