Blog Post

IAVA Daily News Brief 08.02.12
Posted by Gretchen Andersen on August 2 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.) Combat Vet Cleared to Join Clemson

Daniel Rodriguez, a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, will be able to live out his dreams now that the NCAA and the Atlantic Coast Conference cleared him to join Clemson's football team as a walk-on receiver. Wounded in combat, he promised himself to continue his dream of playing football. A viral YouTube video of his workouts led to over 50 programs trying to recruit him.

2.) Military Mental Health Crisis Exposed With Camp Liberty Killing

Bloomberg reports extensively on Army Sergeant John Russell and the moments leading up to the shooting at Camp Liberty, Iraq in 2009. Russell stands accused of a shooting rampage that left five service members dead. Russell is currently awaiting court-martial. The Army is seeking the death penalty. As the article states, prosecutors paint Russell as a “cold-blooded killer, cunning enough to slip through a back door into a mental-health clinic where he mowed down unarmed men.” Russell’s defense lawyers argue he’s not guilty by reason of insanity, but instead “undone by repeat deployments and misdiagnosed in that same clinic.”

3.) A Slow Salute From US Marine After Olympic Bout

The Associated Press reports that U.S. Marine Sgt. Jamel Herring lost his opening match against Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan -- ending his Olympic journey. However, Herring -- who served two tours in Iraq -- remained hopeful about his experience. "It's a great honor to be here," Herring said afterward, sweat still beaded on his shoulders. "Everyone, especially back at home, knows what I've been through." Herring almost gave up on boxing, particularly after the death of his infant daughter, Ariyanah, due to sudden infant death syndrome in 2009. 

AFGHANISTAN

• The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, met today with Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan’s top Army chief. The meeting will partly focus on ways to improve coordination with forces on either side of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
• Two NATO service members were killed today in a bomb attack in southern Afghanistan, details and the nationalities of the departed are not provided. Six service members have died in Afghanistan during the past two days. 

IRAQ

• An Iraqi court has rejected a request to send Ali Mussa Daqduq, accused of killing five Americans in 2007, to the United States for a trial. The Iraqi central criminal court ordered that Daqduq be freed immediately.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Filipino veterans who fought with the U.S. Army during World War II are still facing structural and bureaucratic barriers to care.
• Read a blog about Gulf War illness, and the challenges of winning VA disability claims. 

THE NEW GREATEST GENERATION

• Watch a video about Disabled Sports USA – Warfighter Sports, where disabled veterans climbed Mt. McKinley back in June.  
• Rachel Maddow discusses the need for more Iraq War “Welcome Home” parades. 

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• The Sanctity of Eternal Rest for Veterans Act , aka SERVE, designed to prevent disruptions at military funerals, cleared the U.S. House and heads next to the White House for President Obama’s signature.
• The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has launched an investigation into the Army altering an internal review of an intelligence-gathering software program that helps troops analyze data to predict where improvised explosive devices might be planted and where enemy targets are likely to be found.
• Sen. Scott Brown was promoted to colonel in the Army National Guard.

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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