Blog Post

Daily News Brief 05.15.12
Posted by Jacob Worrell on May 15 2012

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA.  Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking? Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom and click here to get the News Brief delivered to your inbox every morning.

MUST READS

1) Post-traumatic stress now a leading concern for military families

As the wars wind down and the troops come home, more military families are reunited with service members back from deployment. The joyous reunions have been tempered by concern about invisible injuries. A new survey produced by Blue Star Families reports post-traumatic stress disorder as the number one concern among military families that participated in the survey.

2) Ready or not, Afghan forces taking control

With 23,000 U.S. troops scheduled to depart Afghanistan by the end of the summer, Afghan security forces are preparing to shoulder greater responsibility. Many Afghan forces are respected for their discipline and professionalism, but some units are preceded by reputations of incompetence, corruption and even physical assault of the local populace.

3) Supreme Court Rejects Case of Former Sailor With Stress Disorder

On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the petition of a sailor who was court-martialed in 2010 after he assaulted two superior officers. The former sailor sought to dismiss the case against him by arguing that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. The case had added importance in light of Staff Sergeant Bales, the Army soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians in March. 

AFGHANISTAN

• The foreign minister of Pakistan is making overtures towards opening up supply lines for NATO. The border crossing has been closed since a botched airstrike in November, which killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers.
• The Afghan version of Pebble Beach golf course has less grass, more donkeys and more danger.
• U.S. service members across Afghanistan dug in to steak and lobsters on Fridays.

IRAQ

• A bomb exploded in western Baghdad on Sunday, killing six.
• Iraqis are still being illegally detained in a secret prison in Baghdad, says Human Rights Watch.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Mercury News has published an editorial lambasting VA for long wait times for mental health evaluations and disability claims decisions.
• A Vietnam veteran is being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor four decades after his death.

NEW GREATEST GENERATION

• Two Marines based in California are being awarded The Navy Cross this week for gallantry during two separate battles in 2010.
• In a surprise twist, the 2012 military spouse of a year is actually a Manspouse, writes Spouse Buzz.
• An Iraq veteran living with post-traumatic stress disorder uses rap as a way to express himself.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• A lawmaker from North Carolina has introduced a bill that strives to streamline VA and reorganize the number of regional branches.
• A provision in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act precludes the Navy from buying biofuels that are more expensive than traditional fuels.

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles. These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA.

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