Blog Post

IAVA Daily Brief 4.14.11
Posted by Blake Henderson on April 14 2011

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 or subscribe at www.IAVA.org/DailyNewsBrief.

MUST READS

1) Vets experienced, skilled, but still jobless

Eric Smith, an IAVA Member and a former Navy hospital corpsman who did two tours in Iraq, has a new and unwanted role: poster child for the thousands of young veterans who cannot find work in a troubled economy. Testifying Wednesday before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Smith said he, like many returning veterans, expected his skills and experience would help him quickly find work, but he has struggled to find a job.

2) Lawmakers propose new protections for military sexual assault victims

New military sexual assault legislation introduced Wednesday would give all victims access to legal services, a chance to transfer jobs away from their attacker, and a promise that their private counseling sessions won’t be used against them in court. Under the bill, all troops who report being sexually assaulted would be given access to military legal services, to better understand their rights and options.

3) Critical shortage of Army neurologists for US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

The Army is facing a “critical” shortage of neurologists, partly because of recent policy changes designed to improve diagnosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injuries, according to a new military medical memorandum. The policies, issued last June, require soldiers who have suffered three or more mild traumatic brain injuries in a year to receive a comprehensive evaluation by a neurologist or similarly qualified doctor. The new initiatives have “increased dramatically” the need for neurologists on the battlefield.

AFGHANISTAN

A suicide bomber killed a dozen people, including a leading tribal elder and five children, as they left a meeting Wednesday in an eastern province of Afghanistan where US forces have battled insurgents in recent weeks.

Western forces in Afghanistan have begun to train counter-intelligence agents to help root out Taliban infiltrators in the Afghan army and police as concern mounts over killings by rogue security personnel.

IRAQ

Inspired by the democratic uprisings around the Arab world to push for change, young lawmakers in Parliament are running up against an ossified political elite still dominated by the exiles who followed American tanks into Iraq to establish a fragile, violence-scarred democracy.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

Home Depot’s charitable foundation will dedicate $30 million to helping veterans by donating to nonprofits.

Two soldiers who gave their lives fighting in the Korean War will be posthumously given the nation’s highest military honor by President Barack Obama during a ceremony next month.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

Thousands of military retirees who were eligible to transfer GI Bill education benefits to family members but did not learn that until it was too late to apply are hoping Congress will give them a second chance.

The Pentagon says the President’s goal to slash another $400 billion from defense spending over the next 12 years cannot be done without cutting military forces and their ability to protect US security.

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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