Positioned in front of a flag line, color guard, over a dozen veterans advocates and the silhouette of Army Spec. Michael Wargo, Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) addressed veterans and their supporters on the Capitol steps Tuesday afternoon. Heffley's House Resolution 349, which recognizes Mission 22, an organization that helps prevent veteran suicide, passed the House unanimously on Tuesday morning.

Mission 22 created a large-scale public memorial titled, "the War at Home," which features the silhouettes of 20 veterans from across the country who committed suicide. Three veterans were chosen from Pennsylvania. Michael Wargo, of Carbon County; Nicholas Rodriguez of Northampton; and Michelle Langhorst of Pittsburgh.

Heffley's event served as a dedication ceremony for Wargo's monument, as well as a call to action to prevent suicide among our nation's veterans. Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee Randy Vulakovich (R-Allegheny) and chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee Stephen Barrar (R-Delaware/Chester) spoke to the group about the importance of providing services to Pennsylvania's veterans.

Brigadier General Anthony Carrelli, adjutant general for the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; Mike Kissel, founder and vice president of Mission 22; and Mark Baylis, founder of the VALOR Clinic Foundation, encouraged the public to reach out to veterans and work to remove the stigma surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Karen Mojecki represented the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and shared her story of losing her son to suicide while he was serving in the Army. Michael and Sally Wargo, Michael's parents, spoke of their son, his battle with PTSD, and the need for attention to the issue of veteran suicide.

"America's veterans are one of our greatest treasures and the fact that 22 are claiming their own lives, per day, is nothing short of a national tragedy. These heroes are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, husbands and wives. They have served us proudly and bravely, and we owe it to them to provide support and resources to help stop this devastating problem," said Heffley.

The silhouette depicting Michael Wargo will return to Carbon County.