Blog Post

IAVA Daily News Brief 9.27.11
Posted by Jim Drury on September 27 2011

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.

THE DAILY NEWS BRIEF

1) The Truth About Who Fights For Us

The disconnect between mainstream society and the military community has led to misconceptions about the make-up of the U.S. Armed Forces. Many civilians assume that the majority of troops are poor minorities with few other options. In fact, “low-income families are underrepresented in the military” and whites are significantly overrepresented at 64% of the Army’s enlisted personnel in 2010.

2) Editorial: The Pentagon Budget and the Deficit

In an editorial published on Tuesday, The New York Times argues in favor of cuts to the military's pension and health care system, a model it calls unsustainable and unfair. The editorial calls for an alternative to the 20-year retirement system and rate increases for medical insurance under Tricare. Last week IAVA released a statement opposing changes.

3) ‘Dancing With the Stars’: Ricki Lake, J.R. Martinez shine in Week 2

Iraq veteran and IAVA member J.R. Martinez shined on his second week of ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ Martinez landed second place with dance partner Karina Smirnoff, and their performance was quickly hailed as the crowd favorite. Watch Martinez jive.

4) Female Vet ‘Better Person, Better Wife’

A female veteran who was consumed by depression and alcohol has taken back control of her life with the help of a veterans court in North Carolina. After her second arrest for drunk driving, Randi Airola was enrolled in a special program designed to help veterans by providing them with therapy instead of jail-time. Four months in, Randi credits the program with saving her life.

AFGHANISTAN

• The number of American military trainers in Afghanistan is set to increase by 800 by next March, a bump of 25 percent.

• A civilian employee of the Air Force has resigned after accusations of running an illegal spy ring in Afghanistan.

IRAQ

• Officials report that Iraq has signed a deal with Washington to purchase 18 F-16 fighter jets.

• U.S. and Iraq counterterrorism units have been able to halt the flow of Iranian weapons to militants, with the last significant attack in July.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• Texas has joined six other states in passing legislation that allows veterans to indicate their military service on their state driver’s license.

• A federal judge has made an exception for Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer and allowed him to apply to the Fire Department of New York City after the deadline.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• In a public appearance last week, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates bemoaned the lack of bipartisanship in Washington.

• The CIA and the Pentagon continue to battle to keep photos of a Osama bin Laden's corpse classified, citing security risks.

• A report authored by the Armed Services Committee predicts that U.S. military capabilities will be paralyzed if the supercommittee fails to come to an agreement and the Defense Department suffers an additional $600 billion in cuts.

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.

  Share:
 del.icio.us  digg  reddit  facebook  newsvine myspace twitter