“Seeking help is a sign of responsibility and it is not a threat to your security clearance,” Clinton wrote in an all-staff email encouraging those who needed help to seek it. The Pentagon followed suit. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that troops no longer had to disclose past mental health treatment when applying for security clearances. This had huge implications for the thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in need of treatment for mental health issues. They could finally admit to what they were experiencing.
