Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News – September 04, 2013

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

 
Veterans Get Housing Assistance Across The Nation.  DigitalJournal.com  The News Tribune reported on August 27th that Making a Difference in … has received $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that it plans to …
 
Veterans’ benefits helpers under scrutiny.  Pensacola News Journal  The Florida Department of Veterans Affairs advises against using private … office in St. Petersburg told the News Journal in a phone interview that veterans who
 
  Agencies Commit to Transition Assistance Program.  American Forces Press Service  The Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Labor, Education, the Office of Personnel Management and the Small Business Administration codified their continued commitment to help transitioning service members be “career ready” for civilian life by signing a statement of intent on Aug. 15.  “This [statement of intent] puts our shared commitment to our service members in black and white,” said Dr. Susan Kelly, principal director of DOD’s Transition to Veterans Program office.  Each of the military services was represented during … 
  Finances Affect Service Members’ Readiness, Official Says.  American Forces Press Service  Financial readiness in service members’ lives has a direct effect on mission readiness, the director of the Defense Department’s office of family policy, children and youth said in a recent interview.  Noting that financial instability can affect many aspects of service members’ lives, from relationships to concentration on the job, Barbara Thompson told …
 
No plans for complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, ISAF general says.  The commander of NATO ground forces in Afghanistan says there has been no discussions that the coalition would completely withdraw after 2014, despite continued uncertainty in political negotiations over the future of the international military effort.
 
US Naval Academy sexual assault hearing nears end .  An investigator testified Tuesday that the woman at the center of a Naval Academy sexual assault case said in an interview that she couldn’t remember whether sexual encounters with the men charged in the case were consensual or not.

Army’s first female JAG takes the helm Wednesday.  For the first time in the Army’s history, a woman will become the service’s senior uniformed legal authority when Brig. Gen. Flora D. Darpino takes over as Judge Advocate General on Wednesday.
Lack of action against Syria may have consequences, too.  If the U.S. eventually launches missiles at Syrian military assets to punish government forces for the alleged use of chemical weapons, such an assault would do little to tip the balance in favor of anti-regime fighters waged in a 2½-year-old civil war.
 
Medal of Honor recipient Ty Carter tours America.  Since President Obama called him a “true American hero” last week in presenting him with the Medal of Honor, Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter has been a busy soldier. In New York City alone, Carter appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, visited the 9/11 Memorial and shook hands with Derek Jeter before a game at Yankee Stadium.
 
House committee launches VA Accountability Watch.  Hyperlink to Story The Washington Post: Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has launched a Web campaign meant to highlight what he calls the Department of Veterans Affairs “pattern of rewarding failure.”
 

Have You Heard?

Being Prepared is Smart. : September is National Preparedness Month. VA reminds Veterans receiving health care that they need to be prepared. Check out this story for great online links to valuable check lists!