Military & Veterans News
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: VA and DoD Pilot Single Physical
WASHINGTON – In a landmark agreement to simplify life for service members with medical problems as they leave the military and return to the civilian world, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) signed a memorandum to pilot a single physical examination to be used by both Departments.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: VA Clarifies Policy on Flag-Folding Recitations
WASHINGTON -- To ensure burial services at the 125 national cemeteries operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reflect the wishes of Veterans and their families, VA officials have clarified the Department’s policy about recitations made while the U.S. flag is folded at the gravesite of a veteran.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Navy Crew MIA From Vietnam War is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of five U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been accounted-for and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: VA To Host PTSD Research Conference
WASHINGTON -- Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield announced today the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will convene a “consensus conference” with the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health to improve the designs and methodologies all three agencies will use in future research studies regarding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Doonesbury Creator, Military Bloggers Compile New Book
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2007 - War can inspire great writing, like a series of superlative dispatches from servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan compiled in a new book that offers an arresting glimpse of life on the front lines.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: As War Goes On, US Army Pays A Lot to Retain Soldiers
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US army is spending big money on bonuses designed to attract new recruits and retain its best soldiers in a bid to overcome a reluctance to re-enlist fueled by the Iraq war and the temptations of the private sector.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Panel Urges More Benefits for Veterans
WASHINGTON - Veterans disability payments should be increased immediately by up to 25 percent as part of a sweeping overhaul designed to compensate for a wounded warrior’s lost "quality of life," a special commission recommended Wednesday.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Gordon H. Mansfield To Become Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON - - Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield will become the Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs following the resignation of Secretary Jim Nicholson. Secretary Nicholson tendered his resignation to President Bush on July 17, 2007, to be effective no later than October 1, 2007.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: VA Reaches Out to Former Prisoners of War
WASHINGTON - Do you know any former prisoners of war (POW) or their family members? If so, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs your help.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Officials: Bush to Announce Troop Cut
WASHINGTON - President Bush will tell the nation Thursday evening that he plans to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq by as many as 30,000 by next summer but will condition those and further cuts on continued progress, The Associated Press has learned.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Education Benefits Run Out For Too Many, Too Often
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (AFPN) -- Education benefits are still among the top reasons many individuals join the military. Despite this fact, more than 40 percent of Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits go unused each year, according to officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Army Chief: National Guard Vital in Long War
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug. 28, 2007 - The National Guard is making a vital contribution to current wars and will continue to be integral as the U.S. military enter a period of persistent conflict, the Army chief of staff said here Aug. 26.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Retired Airmen Don Uniforms Once Again to Teach JROTC Cadets
8/13/2007 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) -- More than 1,900 Junior ROTC instructors, who teach at 869 school units throughout the world, finished their initial instructor training here last week.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: World War II Navajo Code Talkers Visit Pentagon, Meet With Pace
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today met here with a group of Marine Veterans who used their native Navajo language to baffle the Japanese during World War II.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Fisher House Dedicated at Tampa VA Medical Center
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is now better able to care for the families of injured military servicemen and women recuperating at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. The newest Fisher House, dedicated August 6 at the Tampa facility, will provide families free lodging, making it easier to participate in the care and recovery of their loved ones.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Defense Secretary Honors Marine Corps' 'Lion of Fallujah'
WASHINGTON, July 19, 2007 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates paid an emotional tribute last night to one of the Marine Corps’ fallen heroes of the war in Iraq.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Nicholson to Leave VA and Return to the Private Sector
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Jim Nicholson announced today he has tendered his resignation to President George W. Bush, effective no later than October 1, 2007.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: VA Brings Mental Health Programs to Primary Care Settings
WASHINGTON -- Addressing a special mental health forum with the top clinicians and researchers from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson announced plans to begin locating some of the Department’s mental health programs closer to places where primary care is provided.Military & Veterans News
Vet News: US Official Urges Mental Health Changes
The Pentagon’s top health official said Thursday he wants to see better mental health assessments, stronger privacy protections and a "buddy system" to change the military’s stigma against seeking help for anxiety and depression.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: DoD Announces Installation Realignments in Germany
The Department of Defense announced today that the United States will cease operations at U.S. Army, Europe, locations in Buedingen, Gelnhausen, Darmstadt, Hanau and Turley Barracks in Mannheim, Germany.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Policy Change Boosts G.I. Bill Eligibility for Some Guard, Reserve Members
WASHINGTON - A recent Defense Department policy change widens the eligibility window for some Reserve-component troops who want to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits, a senior DoD official said here today.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Admiral Surprises Soldiers With Candid, Detailed Answers
BAGHDAD, June 21, 2007 - When the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff showed up to speak to 1st Cavalry soldiers here yesterday, soldiers were a bit surprised by how in tune he was with the current situation in Iraq.
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Leadership Changes in Special Operations
Some leadership changes involving the military’s special operations forces:
Military & Veterans News
Vet News: VA Secretary Praises Dole-Shalala Panel
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson today thanked the members of a special presidential commission for their work examining the federal government’s response to the health care needs of returning combat Veterans.