Blog post

IAVA Daily Brief 8.13.10
Posted by Blake Henderson on August 13 2010

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) Discharges for adjustment disorder soar
 
More and more soldiers are being discharged for adjustment disorder, a condition that mimics the symptoms of PTSD, but does not carry with it the same disability benefit.  As a result, soldiers with PTSD and TBI are not being treated.
 
2) Young vets in new fight: finding a job
 
During these dark economic times, young veterans are having a tougher experience than the general population. The unemployment rate among veterans who served in the post-Sept 11 era was 11.8 percent in July, compared with the U.S. rate of 9.5 percent.
 
3) Army officer beats suicide, helps others
 
An Army captain who overcame feelings of suicide and depression is telling her story to advocate for others getting the help that they need.  She is stressing the importance of eliminating the stigma attached to mental health problems and urging people to understand that mental injuries are just as legitimate as physical ones.
 
AFGHANISTAN

• General David Petraeus said the goal of starting an American pullback by July 2011 will depend on conditions at the time.
• An ambitions military operation that Afghan officials had expected to be a sign of their growing military capacity instead turned into an embarrassment, with Taliban fighters battering an Afghan battalion in a remote eastern area until NATO sent in French and American rescue teams.

IRAQ

• Congress is considering handing over to Iraqis, financial and operational control of a fund that provides aid to families whose relatives were killed by US military operations.
• Christopher Hill, the ambassador to Iraq charged with reshaping the American role, ended his 16-month tenure in an anxious, unsettled country, with a military withdrawal afoot but a key task not done: the formation of a government that will inherit the country.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Military servicemembers serving overseas once again will be able to receive care packages with cigarettes and other tobacco products starting late this month.
• Defense Secretary Robert Gates is seeking to redefine the purpose and size of the Marine Corps.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee plans to hold 'early and urgent' hearings on the Pentagon's plan to cut contractor personnel and freeze civilian hiring.

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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