Blog Post

IAVA Daily News Brief 02.10.12
Posted by Jacob Worrell on February 10 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) More combat opportunities for women, but still no infantry

The Department of Defense has announced a shift in the military’s policy towards female service members. Women will be given greater opportunities to serve in combat brigades, but they are still prohibited from serving in infantry and special operations units. At a press conference on Thursday, the DOD described the change as “the beginning, not the end, of the process.” Read the DOD press release.

2) Vets' transition to civilian jobs often includes a perceived step down

A service member’s qualifications can be lost in translation when they move from the foxhole to the cubicle. Many veterans say civilians underestimate their leadership credentials, while employers note that new veterans often lack the requisite experience needed to manage employees in a corporate environment.

3) Keeping Marriage From Becoming a Casualty of War

A military spouse reflects on her ultimately successful struggle to preserve her marriage under the incredible strain of multiple deployments. “Military life can stretch even the best of marriages to their limits,” she writes. Nearly 30,000 military marriages ended in divorce in 2011.

AFGHANISTAN

• A road construction program that sought to win the loyalty of the Afghan people has failed, according to U.S. officials.
• Prince Harry is on his way back the front after he qualified to fly the Apache attack helicopter.
• Soldiers downrange are saving money by recycling shower water through an intricate filtration system.

IRAQ

• “The time to honor Iraq vets [with a parade] is now,” writes IAVA Senior Membership Associate Timothy Kudo in CNN Opinion.
• An Iraqi tribe has prohibited the family of an executed Al Qaeda leader from mourning in public and burying the body in a local cemetery.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• The Marine Corps is facing scrutiny after a picture surfaced showing Marines posing in front of a Nazi symbol.
• A 15-year Navy veteran made famous for thwarting the Times Square bomber says he is running for Congress.
• PFC Bradley Manning, the source behind the Wikileaks project, will be arraigned by a military judge on February 23.
• A military jury has found a Marine Sergeant not guilty of charges of hazing a lance corporal who later committed suicide.

NEW GREATEST GENERATION

• Starting in January, an Army Ranger ran and biked 565 miles to raise awareness about veterans and the transition home.
• A singer inspired by the “Welcome Home our Heroes” parade in St Louis has dedicated a new song to the troops.
• A New York-based start-up called Four Block offers fellowships to student veterans and teaches them how to succeed in the corporate world.
• IAVA alumni Daniel Atwood writes about the future of the nonprofit sector, where technology has enabled organizations to provide services that scale with the demands of the consumer.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• A new report from the Congressional Research Service appears to contradict some lawmakers who warn that proposed defense cuts will create a ‘hollow force’.
• Service members have been unusually active with campaign contributions for the presidential election of 2012.

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