Veterans Day in Wisconsin is a special moment of reflection for the more than 427,000 veterans in this state.

As I reflect on my second deployment to Iraq,

I am acutely aware of the physical, mental and psychological costs borne by the men and women serving in our country's conflicts. And these costs do not end with their active duty assignments. Reintegration bears its own costs, as veterans attempt to resume their varied roles in civilian life and society: mother, father, son, daughter, friend, employee, student, etc. I can tell you from personal experience that, even under the best of

circumstances, this transition is a difficult one.

Of the veterans living in the state, the number includes the 128,273 Wisconsinites who joined the ranks of deployed or returning veterans since the Persian Gulf War (August 1990). During the most recent U.S. military conflicts (the Persian Gulf War, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq), Wisconsin lost more than 114 of its daughters and sons. More than 51,210 Wisconsin veterans suffer some degree of disability related to their military duty, and trend analyses reveal an increasing rate of physical and mental health disorders for personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is clear that these veterans have paid a great price for our freedom. Know that their families and communities have paid a price as well. And, for their service, their personal loss and their families' and communities' losses, we are grateful and we owe them. Be aware also that we all will continue to pay a price if we do not provide these service members with the tools needed to reintegrate into our communities in a positive and healthy way. The level of funding and the care available and used is sadly short of the need.

Positive reintegration requires mental health assessment and opportunities for meaningful work or job training. Wisconsin continues to make great strides in providing educational opportunities for veterans. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said with respect to mental health and support for returning veterans and their families. Recent reports acknowledge that soldiers returning with musculoskeletal and mental health disorders typically receive fewer benefits than those with cardiovascular or neurological conditions. Currently and historically, military men and women often do not seek out help, especially for mental health difficulties, on their own. A recent study at Walter Reed Army Medical Center involving more than 6,100 Army personnel and Marines indicates that of those troops returning from duty in Iraq or Afghanistan only between 23 percent to 40 percent of those in need actually seek help. Other research provide a grim picture of the ongoing costs in human suffering and opportunity lost for our returning veterans, their families and our communities:

n 25 percent to 40 percent of returning veterans experience a mental health disorder, with rates highest among National Guard and Reserve components.

n Army suicide rates are at an all-time high.

n Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, traumatic blast injury, or TBI, and depression are greater than in previous conflicts.

n Substance abuse and domestic violence are tightly associated with PTSD, TBI and depression and are a primary cause of separation and divorce for military families.

If we do not connect with our military personnel and follow up with needed physical, mental, and educational information, programs and interventions we are likely to pay for their service for a very long time. It is the right thing to do and the fiscally responsible thing to do. Freedom has a cost we all bear.

Less than 1 percent of the population is currently serving in the armed forces. As a state and as a nation, we need to find the resources to fund programs that benefit veterans. When we benefit our veterans, we also benefit their families, our communities and our society as a whole.

On this Veterans Day, it is time to recognize and act on our commitment to our veterans. Their service and sacrifice, in a very real sense, make them this era's Greatest Generation.

John A. Scocos is the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.