Obama Campaigns For Veterans' Mental Health

On Friday, President Obama was at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he spoke to troops and met with military families, including some who lost loved ones in Afghanistan. As that war winds down, the president is ordering additional help for those with invisible battle scars. A rash of suicides has shown mental injuries can be just as deadly as a roadside bomb.

Surrounded by soldiers in camouflage fatigues, Obama recalled his last visit to Fort Bliss, exactly two years earlier. That was the day he announced a formal end to combat operations in Iraq. "It was a chance for me to say, on behalf of the American people, to you and all who served there, welcome home and congratulations on a job well done," Obama said.

Troops from Fort Bliss were among the last to fight in Iraq, and they're still fighting in Afghanistan. By next month, though, when the last of the Afghan "surge" troops withdraw, Obama says, the U.S. will have only a third as many troops in those countries as it did four years ago. He promised additional services for returning troops as they cope with the mental damage left by those wars. "Just as we give you the best equipment and technology on the battlefield, we need to give you the best support and care when you come home," the president said...