Sunday Read: Catch Up on Week's Top Stories

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By Rick Rogers – Military Headline News

 
Starting in July most of the nearly 250 military commissaries will close Mondays — and some on Tuesdays, too. The changes in operating hours are required to reduce costs under sequestration.
The new hours will start July 8 run through September.
New-age gold fever dating back more than 70 years has struck an area once known for brutal fighting.
Whether true or just a great tale, rumors are spreading that a sunken World War II Japanese ship holding more than $1 billion in gold has been found in the Solomon Islands following a deathbed confession.
Forgotten medals no more.
Illinois officials are searching for the rightful owners of 108 military medals sitting in its vaults, some for more than 100 years.
The medals date back to the Spanish-American War and include Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars and even a Navy Cross.
The veterans’ names can be found at www.treasurer.il.gov.
Military communities nationwide are breathing a little easier.
For the moment at least, another round of base closures is going nowhere.
A House Armed Services subcommittee has refused an administration request to cut more installations.
China has allegedly hacked its way into the secret plans of dozens of U.S defense programs, including the Patriot Missile and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, according to The Washington Post.
American officials have downplayed the cyber attacks.
Germany has agreed to pay Jewish Holocaust survivors about $1 billion for health care and other aid in the coming years.
The money is for about 56,000 survivors in nearly 50 countries.
The fund would provide additional Holocaust victims food, medicine and transportation.
There are some things that civilians can legally do that service members can’t. Add another item to that list.
The military’s highest court ruled that making sex tapes is tantamount to having sex in public and is therefore punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Just in time for summer, more than 1,800 museums nationwide are offering free admission to troops and their families now through Labor Day.
Museums nationwide are participating in the Blue Star Museums program. More information is at www.BlueStarfam.org.
Five years ago, the Veterans Affairs Department made finding homes for all homeless veterans a top priority.
But to reach that goal by 2015, housing for 60 veterans each day must be found for the next 2½ years. To meet that deadline, the government plans to ramp up its housing voucher program.
Human error is being blamed for an explosion that killed seven Marines during a training exercise last March in Nevada.
An investigation concluded that Marines violated procedures resulting in the detonation.
The soldier charged with murdering 16 people in Afghanistan will plead guilty to avoid a possible death penalty, according to his lawyer.
If the plea were accepted, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales would likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the March 2012 incident.

Rick Rogers is an Army veteran and Northwestern University graduate who’s covered military and defense issues for nearly 30 years. Read more of his stuff by clicking here.

Rick Rogers

Rick Rogers is a defense reporter based in San Diego.