NATIONAL NEWS

Bellmore native helps pass veterans legislation

Congress passes suicide-prevention bill

Posted

Kristofer Goldsmith, 29, compiled yet another thick packet of documents to be sent to the Army Discharge Review Board last weekend. The Bellmore native, who now lives in Long Beach, has appealed his general discharge from the U.S. Army –– which prevents access to many of the services and benefits to which he should be entitled under the G.I. Bill –– several times since 2007.

After a trying deployment in Iraq in 2005, Goldsmith suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder when he returned to Long Island a year later. He was then misdiagnosed with pre-existing conditions and prescribed anti-depressants, but according to the military, he remained deployable. A few days after receiving that news, Goldsmith tried to take his own life. His suicide attempt caused him to receive a less-than-honorable discharge, which he said he hopes will finally be re-evaluated, thanks to new federal legislation for which he lobbied in Congress.

Goldsmith advocated for two bills focusing on veterans’ mental health, both of which passed this winter: the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which President Obama signed on Feb. 12; and the Military Mental Health Review Board Improvement Act, which was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 and signed by Obama on Dec. 19.

Passage of the latter will allow Goldsmith to apply to have his discharge changed from general to honorable. He noted that while it might sound like a personal victory for him, he needed an act of Congress to receive a hearing.

“I’ve been fighting this battle for seven years, and there are tens of thousands of veterans who have been denied a fair hearing,” he said. “Some of them are dead now. Some of them are homeless. This isn’t just a win; there’s a tremendous loss that isn’t recoverable.”

Page 1 / 3