Blog Post

Daily News Brief 02.22.12
Posted by Jacob Worrell on February 22 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)Can 'I Won The Medal Of Honor' Get You Jailed?

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in the case of Xavier Alvarez, a California resident who lied about receiving the Medal of Honor. At issue is the constitutionality of a law making it a crime to lie about being the recipient of military medals and the Constitution's guarantee of free speech.

2) Officials: Afghans, U.S. nearing post-exit deal

The U.S. and Afghan officials are considering pushing through a long-delayed partnership agreement by relegating the contentious issues of night raids and control over detainees to separate negotiations. The long-term partnership agreement is expected to provide for several thousand U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan after 2014 to train Afghan forces and help with counterterrorism operations.

3) Vet Center in San Diego facing resistance

A debate about a proposed veterans facility in San Diego geared for those with PTSD and mild traumatic brain injury is pitting neighbors against veterans. San Diego would host one of the five nationwide facilities the Department of Veterans Affairs is creating to serve Post-9/11 veterans. The others would be in Atlanta, Denver, Miami and Philadelphia.

AFGHANISTAN

• Afghan officials said seven people were killed in clashes between Afghan security forces and protesters demonstrating against the burning of Muslim holy books at a NATO military base. The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is on lockdown as protests rage.

IRAQ

• Frank Wuterich, an Iraq veteran who pleaded guilty to negligent dereliction of duty in the killing of 24 unarmed Iraqis in 2005, has been discharged from the Marine Corps.
• A former Marine accused of fatally stabbing six people in Los Angeles pleaded not guilty Tuesday as an acquaintance said Itzcoatl Ocampo's service in Iraq changed him.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey told troops Tuesday that the Defense Department is continuing to review the military’s health care structure after proposing changes in its fiscal 2013 budget that would increase TRICARE fees.

NEW GREATEST GENERATION

• The director of the Michigan State Police, preparing to recruit significant numbers of troopers for the first time in decades, is putting out a welcome mat for veterans returning from military duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• 'Act of Valor', a once modest recruiting project, is set to open Feb. 24 in roughly 2,500 theaters nationwide, putting an uncomfortable spotlight on the U.S. Navy SEALS which prides itself on keeping clandestine operations quiet.
• Robin Hood Foundation has announced that Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will co-chair a new Veterans Advisory Board dedicated to finding and developing the most effective poverty-fighting models to help returning veterans and their families.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• An Ohio congressman has introduced legislation that would move veteran-owned businesses closer to the front of the line when seeking contracts from the Veterans Affairs Department.

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