Blog Post

IAVA Daily News Brief 07.25.12
Posted by Gretchen Andersen on July 25 2012

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings that IAVA is tracking. 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.) IAVA Launches Aggressive Campaign to “Defend the New GI Bill” and Protect Student Veterans from Predatory For-Profit Schools

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has launched a new campaign warning new veterans and their spouses about predatory for-profit colleges that target their GI Bill benefits. Due to a loophole in the current legislation, the 90-10 rule, the New GI Bill is under siege by some for-profit institutions that gouge veterans’ benefits and government funds without delivering the quality education, training and career services that they promised. Anchored by a new Public Service Announcement, IAVA’s Defend the New GI Bill campaign seeks to increase transparency and reporting from these higher learning institutions, so student veterans and spouses understand their options, maximize their GI Bill benefits and receive the career-ready education that they earned. Watch here at DefendtheNewGIBill.org.

2.) Obama, Romney Use Veterans Convention to Hammer Home Their Differences

Presidential candidates Obama and Romney both spoke at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Reno, Nevada this week and the Stars and Stripes reports the two candidates’ speeches differed entirely. Obama’s speech looked towards efforts within the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs to help veterans and servicemembers. Romney’s speech focused on foreign policy, leaks, his belief in the greatness of America and how sequestration would hurt the Department of Defense, among other topics. As the article states, this will be the first election in nearly 70 years in which neither of the two major-party candidates is a veteran.

3.) Troops Can Tout Wartime skills, But Some Need School, Training for Civilian Jobs They Want

Returning troops will learn to pass their skills gained from military experience to civilian life as they transition out of the service. The Washington Post reports on the Transition Assistance Program, and how resume workshops help service members with tips for compiling a comprehensive resume for an employer. 

AFGHANISTAN

• NPR reports that violence and IED attacks are rising in Afghanistan this summer despite the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
• A bomb planted next to a spring that was meant to kill Afghan police killed seven children when it exploded.
• Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Michael Brodsky died in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan after injuries from a dismounted IED explosion.
• A probe into the abuse at a U.S.-funded Afghan hospital has lead some lawmakers to question whether corruption in the country is so severe that supporting Afghanistan is even possible.

IRAQ

• Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks on Monday, considered the bloodiest day of violence since U.S. troops withdrew from the country.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Defense Secretary Leon Panetta approved an Air Force plan to begin lifting flight restrictions on the F-22 stealth fighter jet, after the Pentagon said they have identified what caused a depletion of oxygen for pilots.
• The Congressional Budget Office notes in a new report that the costs of fielding one active-duty airman, sailor, soldier or Marine has climbed in the past decades. Not including inflation, in 1980 it cost $57,000 it cost to field a troop compared to $217,000 in 2010.
• At the court martial of Sgt. Adam Holcomb, who is facing several charges in connection with the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, defense attorneys argued that Chen killed himself amid the stress of strained family ties and not because of alleged ethnic hazing.

THE NEW GREATEST GENERATION

• The San Diego City Council authorized a 40-bed facility for the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The facility is slated to open in spring 2013.
• Read the At War’s blog on military spouses and pursuing careers by Molly Blake. Blake is the wife of a Marine Corps aviator and the web editor for Blue Star Families, a nonprofit organization representing military families.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• Today, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki are set to testify in front of the House Veterans Affairs Committee about the VA’s progress.

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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