Blog Post

IAVA Daily News Brief 08.10.12
Posted by Gretchen Andersen on August 10 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 @IAVA and click here to get the News Brief delivered to your inbox every morning.

MUST READS

1) For-profit Colleges Target Veterans, Federal Loans for Huge Profit

IAVA Chief Policy Officer Tom Tarantino spoke to The Rachel Maddow Show last night about how for-profit schools aggressively target veterans to reap funds from the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In the segment, Tarantino explained how these institutions get away with abusing GI Bill benefits, while giving back nothing but low graduation rates, student loan debt and poor career advancement opportunities.

2) Attacker in Afghan Uniform Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers

In another suspected “green-on-blue” attack this week, an Afghan police officer killed three Special Forces troops after inviting them for a meal in the Sangin District of Helmand Province. While the NATO coalition could not provide any further details, the New York Times reports that Muhammad Sharif, the governor of Sangin, said a police commander invited the Special Forces soldiers to eat at his check post, shot them when their guard was down, and then fled.

3) Guess the VA Does Have a Paperwork Problem…

Mark Thompson reports on the Department of Veteran Affairs Inspector General report describing how paper had piled so high at the VA’s regional office in Winston-Salem, N.C. that it created an unsafe environment for staff, exposed “many claims folders to risk of fire/water damage, inadvertent loss and possible misplacement and “impeded productivity by reducing access to many folders in a timely manner.” The Inspector General alerted VA headquarters to the problem, which led to the relocation of much of the paperwork and apparently better plans for safer long-term storage.

AFGHANISTAN

• Army Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin, a senior U.S. soldier, was killed in Kunar Province Wednesday after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest. 
• Air Force Maj. Walter D. Gray was killed in Kunar province Wednesday. Gray leaves behind a wife and three young children.
• Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy was killed in the Kunar province Wednesday. Kennedy leaves behind a wife and two twin children. Kennedy played hockey for West Point. 

IRAQ

• In Mosul, a car bomb struck a Shiite mosque killing three people and wounding 35. In Dujail, a gunman opened fire at a checkpoint. In Muqdadiyah, a roadside bomb killed three policemen wounded two. 

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• In an effort to fully streamline the entire benefits process, VA Officials briefed ten veteran service organizations on plans to fast track certain veterans benefits claims, and how they can help in the process.
• Thomas Brennan, a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, reveals how his struggle with severe PTSD ended his military career. Although he may no longer be an active duty Marine, Brennan argues that by seeking help he’s serving his Marines in the best way he possibly can.

THE NEW GREATEST GENERATION

• At a sports muster hosted by UT Arlington Movin' Mavs wheelchair basketball team, U.S. Paralympics, Paralympic Sport Arlington and the Wounded Warrior Project, wounded veterans learned how adaptive sports and recreation can help them recover and transition back into civilian life.
• Training Camp, an IT training and certification firm, created a viral video contest, “Valor Video,” about veteran unemployment. Videos can be “funny, silly, heartwarming or witty” but will center focus on why employers should hire veterans.  For each video submitted, Training Camp is donating $25 to the Wounded Warrior Project. The contest runs through September 7th.
• John Villneff, Vietnam War veteran and two-time Purple Heart recipient, died trying to protect his 12-year-old granddaughter during a burglary. Villneff, a father of three and grandfather of 12, was shot two times.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• Members of Congress and presidential candidates are entering the for-profit school debate as the election nears. Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak Sunday at NASCAR Technical Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Foreign Policy speculates former senator Jim Talent is widely regarded as the top choice for defense secretary in a potential Romney administration.

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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