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.   First Lady Urges Businesses to Hire Veterans, Spouses.  American Forces Press  ServiceVeterans and military spouses make good employees because they know how to develop and execute complex plans, and they’re at their best when faced with high-pressure situations, First Lady Michelle Obama told attendees at the Business Roundtable Conference Center here today.  In her remarks, Obama continued her call on the private sector to…
 
2.   Northwestern Michigan College takes steps to attract and keep vets.  Sarah Bean returned to Traverse City a few years ago and recently decided on a social work career — to support her two young children and for her own personal growth. The Northwestern Michigan College outreach staff made signing up for classes easy, said Bean.
 
3.   Obama officials offer no new date for closing Guantanamo.  For the first time since President Barack Obama was re-elected, administration officials this week formally answered questions about human rights violations at the Guantanamo Bay detention center for suspected terrorists, but they avoided offering any timeframe for closing the facility.
 
4.Smith confirmed as Veterans’ Affairs director.  Statesman Journal:  Smith served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a veteran of the Iraq war. More. The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Cameron Smith as the new director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Smith was nominated Feb. 5 by Gov

5.   The Veterans’ Jobless Crisis That Isn’t.  Time: The problem with this shared narrative is that there is, in fact, no crisis. It’s an exaggeration, at best … The reality is that veterans are more likely to be employed than non-veterans. This is indisputable.
 
6.   Sequester cuts hit tuition for soldiers, aid for homeless veterans. Fox News: The $85 billion in cuts that went into effect at the beginning of the month will not spare soldiers and veterans, with a wave of cuts being announced for tuition assistance and a program that helps homeless veterans get back on their feet.
 
7.   Hagel to meet with Shinseki: VA claims under Obama slow.  Foreign Policy: Hagel will sit down with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki today. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the former sergeant who was combat wounded in Vietnam, has made a point of saying he will reach out to the VA to narrow the institutional and bureaucratic gaps between DOD and VA.

8.   A Veteran’s Suicide on 60 Minutes: Lessons Learned? Huffington Post: The 60 Minutes piece last Sunday on the life and death of Clay Hunt, a Marine who earned a Purple Heart serving in the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, demonstrated how much we have yet to learn about the epidemic of suicide in our returning troops and veterans.

9.   VA Against SAFE Act Reporting Requirement.  WGRZ-TV:  The Department of Veterans Affairs has come out against a portion of the new gun control law that requires mental health professionals to report patients who are likely to hurt themselves or others.
 
10.   Mass. unveils plan to ensure veterans don’t go homeless.  Boston Globe: Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray on Tuesday detailed a plan to reduce the number of homeless veterans in Massachusetts by 1,000 by the end of 2015, which would effectively eliminate the problem.

Have You Heard?

A Mother’s Sacrifice to Serve.  Editor’s Note: This is the fourth essay in a 10-part Women’s History Month series entitled, Honoring Our Nation’s Women Veterans. In February, we asked readers to submit essays about their time in service or women who have served our country. …   Read More →