Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News – August 06, 2012

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Veterans! Here’s your Top 10 News stories of the day compiled from the latest sources

 

We encourage you to browse our list so that you can take what you want and keep what you need

 

1.   With US drawdown nearing, Afghans have little faith in their own security forcesThe men sat on the ground inside a mud-brick barn listening to Capt. Philip Schneider, the air imbued with the scent of manure and a sense of fatalism. More than a decade into the longest war in U.S. history, Afghans remain less convinced of their military’s intentions than the Taliban’s.
 
2.   Karzai agrees to replace two key ministers after no-confidence vote.  The cross-border rocket attacks that have plagued villagers in Afghanistan’s northeast have apparently claimed their latest victims in the capital: the country’s two highest security officials.
 
3.   Military adding more electric vehicles to fleetElectric vehicles are becoming a more common sight on military bases as the Department of Defense adds “road-capable” electric cars such as the Chevy Volt to a fleet of thousands of smaller battery-powered vehicles.

4.    Veteran’s widow in fight of her life for VA benefits.  Army veteran Lester Groff thought his wife, Nancy, would be taken care of after he died. But 3 1/2 years after he passed away, Nancy Groff is homeless. Her life is in limbo as she stays with friends in Mount Penn and waits for the Department of Veterans Affairs to decide whether she’ll receive any benefits.

5.    Gen. Robert E. Lee’s lost orders on display.  The war was on, or so it seemed Saturday when three Civil War historians traced events that caused top-secret orders from Gen. Robert E. Lee to land in the hands of his Union counterpart.
 
6.   Newest Coast Guard cutter ‘brought to life’ in Florida.  The Richard Etheridge — named for a former slave who became captain of a naval station — is the second of 58 First Response Cutters designed to replace an aging fleet.
 
7.   US warns China against further moves in South China Sea.  The Obama administration on Friday warned China against further moves to tighten control over a disputed section of the South China Sea, as tensions rose in the flash point region.

8.   Groups lend hand to veterans.  Danville Commercial News  Two vans were donated by the Disabled American Veterans and 30 pagers were donated by the Champaign Area United States Bowling Congress recently to the Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System. In addition, Danville Firefighters Local 429 in conjunction with the Friendly Tavern donated more than $4000 raised during their 14th annual poker run. Also, the VA’s Homeless Veteran Program received more than $1500 from the fundraising cornhole tournament in June. New vans. The 12-passenger van and a …

9.   Central Texas veterans face nation’s longest wait for VA disability claims.  Austin American-Statesman  Such service officers, who are mostly county employees and act as veteran advocates, are in counties throughout the state and aid veterans in filing their claims. “The level of frustration is very high … But local VA officials say that the Waco and Houston offices are simply feeling the same pressures driving the backlog nationally: a sour economy, aging Vietnam and World War II veterans, an influx of younger veterans from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and new rules that make it easier to file claims. “Our employees are …
 
10.Biden Vows To Protect Care For Veterans.  AP  Vice President Joe Biden told a disabled veterans group Saturday that their benefits are safe from automatic defense spending cuts while “he accused members of Congress of playing political ‘brinksmanship’ with the nation’s security.” Biden said, “Look, we’re going to get through this…but this is a hell of way to do business. … We owe our military more certainty.” He also “said the Obama Administration has increased funding to veterans by 30 percent, and promised to end a massive backlog of disability claims by 2015.”  Las Vegas Review-Journal  Biden promised, “We’re going to keep our commitment to American veterans no matter what happens.” It also reports on Biden’s promises to reduce the veterans’ claims backlog, noting that some 880,000 claims are stuck as the VA now deals with some 1 million new claims annually as the list of veterans injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars grows.  Las Vegas Sun  Veterans who listened to Biden were struck by his personal connection to their issues, which the Sun notes is an unusually positive response to a politician.

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