Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 5.28.10
Posted by Blake Henderson on May 28 2010

MUST READS 1) Memorial Day: One Holiday, Two Countries   Paul Rieckhoff, IAVA Executive Director and Founder, penned a piece about what Memorial Day means to the nation.  In it, he urges Americans to honor the men and women that have died for our country and to sign IAVA's Pledge of Remembrance.  To read IAVA's statement on Memorial Day click here.   2) Old Guard soldiers put 'Flags In' at Arlington Cemetery   More than 1,500 servicemembers from the "Old Guard" and other ceremonial units gathered at Arlington National Cemetery today for a sacred ritual marking the start of the Memorial Day weekend observance.  The men and women, representing all the services and Coast Guard, carried rucksacks full of small American flags, performing the time-honored Flags In event of marking the cemetery's more than 350,000 white headstones with the stars and stripes.   3) 100 year old Medal of Honor recipient passes away   Retired Navy Lt. John Finn died Thursday at the age of 100.  Finn was the oldest of 97 Medal of Honor recipients from World War II still living. He died at a nursing home for veterans outside San Diego.   AFGHANISTAN

• Servicemembers are working with the country's ministries to provide legal advice and development. The judge advocate's office provides legal advice on all issues affecting the command's commanders and staff. The office focuses on anticorruption efforts in Afghanistan and the legal development of the Afghan army and police.
• A welder from the Vermont Army National Guard serving at Gardez has pioneered inventions and repairs that have been integral to the success of not only the soldiers in his battalion, but also the Afghan army and special operations soldiers.

IRAQ

• Iraq currently imports 72% of its agricultural goods from foreign nations.  To remedy the need for Iraq to import the majority of its agriculture, American troops have created a fully encompassing agricultural foundation that plans to leave a lasting change to the landscape and economy of Iraq.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• The late Pat Tillman was among the 14 newly elected members of the College Football Hall of Fame.  Tillman played linebacker for Arizona State from 1994-97 and gave up an NFL career to enlist in the Army in 2002. He was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2004.  The Pat Tillman Foundation carries on his legacy through leadership and civic action.
• Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey has issued an executive order asking that his commanders abide by changes recommended made a year ago on the service's medical and physical evaluation board processes.
• In yet another step toward crafting a military that can tackle humanitarian relief to counterterrorism and everything in between, the Pentagon now wants planners and commanders to give medical support missions as much consideration as combat operations during the planning and execution of stability operations.
• An experimental Air Force aircraft has set a record for hypersonic flight, flying more than three minutes at Mach 6 - six times the speed of sound.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• The Senate Armed Services Committee and the full House of Representatives has voted to repeal the 1993 law known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" prohibiting gay and lesbian service members from serving openly in the military.
• As the Senate approved a nearly $60 billion measure to pay for continuing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Sen. John McCain and Senate Democrats are battling over a plan to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S-Mexico border. McCain says the security situation along the order has deteriorated so badly that 3,000 guard troops are needed just to help protect Arizona.
• The House wants the Pentagon's chief watchdog to investigate whether National Guard and Reserve soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are getting second-class medical treatment.

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.