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IAVA | October 4, 2016

Daily News Brief October 4, 2016

dnbSailors attach cargo pendants to an MH-605 Seahawks helicopter on the USS Ronald Reagan during a vertical replenishment with the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Charles Drew in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 23, 2016. MC3 Nathan Burke/Navy. | Military Times >>

Today’s Top Stories

“I’m committed to defending our veterans and that means preserving their symbols of honor like the Purple Heart. These medals belong with families or in museums, not on some collector’s auction block.” | Military Times >>

Staffers at the VA Medical Center in Madison, Wisconsin, purchased two robots for about $313,000 in September 2012 without determining whether they could move effectively through the hospital’s hallways, according to a Friday report released by the agency’s inspector general substantiating allegations of wasted funds at the medical center. The robots were not used for two years. | Fox News >>

Last spring, a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs panel held a hearing on hiring preferences, where Richard Weidman, executive director for policy for Vietnam Veterans of America, said this: “We hear from some who were hired and quit after a year or so because they were ‘bored’ or ‘did not fit in.’ It seems clear to us that those who come straight from the military into the [federal government] need a mentor, perhaps an older veteran, to start learning to negotiate the corporate culture and procedures at that agency, as well as being able to understand the feelings and attitudes of the newer veteran.” | The Washington Times >>

Iraq and Afghanistan

According to sources in Erbil, the KRG told McGurk and Baghdad they had lost around $1 billion dollars in revenues since March as the Kirkuk field was reinjecting around 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) back under the ground instead of exporting it with other Kurdish production of around 450,000 bpd to world markets via Turkey. | Reuters >>

A police officer says the attacker set off his explosives-laden vest on Monday in an outdoor market in the southwestern Shiite-dominated neighborhood of al-Amil. He added that up to 25 other civilians were wounded. | Fox News >>

Afghan forces fought to regain control of the northern city of Kunduz on Monday after Taliban fighters pushed into the center of the provincial capital they had briefly captured almost exactly a year ago in their biggest success in 15 years of war. | Reuters >>

Military Affairs

The petition launched within hours of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson’s announcement Thursday that the Navy would do away with job titles and move to a system of job specialty codes. The plan is intended to give sailors greater career opportunities in areas that the previous system made difficult. | Navy Times >>

When it comes to pickups, the standard attitude is, go big or go home. Huge knobbly tires, bullbars, spotlights, winches—even if they’re unnecessary. Look at Ford’s F-150 Raptor (not just leaner, meaner!), Toyota’s Tacoma TRD Pro (not afraid to show off its wild side!), or Nissan’s Titan XD Warrior concept (37-inch tires!). | Wired >>

Trained fitness instructors who can tailor conditioning plans to their command’s needs. Mandatory Resident PME to pick up staff sergeant and gunny. Blending male and female recruits more during boot camp. And using simulation to better train marksmanship against moving targets. | Marine Corps Times >>

#VetsRising

When Holloway is around Emma, the difference the dog makes is visible. Holloway smiles and is more relaxed. Emma’s job is to warn her owner that PTSD symptoms are on the horizon so Holloway can do something about it. | Houston News 11 >>

Army Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Paul De La Cerda is a quality guy, the kind of dude you’d want in your corner for just about any trouble. Luckily, De La Cerda is that corner guy for U.S. veterans every day. Through his organization, Rock 4 Recovery, he’s doing something unique for those who have suffered while on active duty. | Houston Press >>

A native of Fayetteville, Ga., he served 18 years as a sheriff’s deputy — 13 of those with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. He has a degree in criminal justice from the University of Southern Mississippi and spent 11 years in the Mississippi National Guard as a military police captain with the Mississippi National Guard’s 31st Rear Operations Unit. He is an Iraq War veteran and a Hurricane Katrina survivor. | The Vicksburg Post >>

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