Military & Veterans News

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Deborah Mullen, address the audience during a town hall meeting at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, June 11, 2010. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Investing in Veterans Today Will Pay Off Tomorrow, Mullen Says Military veterans need the support of community groups to pick up where the government leaves off in helping with the challenges veterans and their families face, the military's top officer said during a recent town hall-style meeting at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: First Lady Visits Camp Pendleton CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., June 14, 2010 – First Lady Michelle Obama greeted more than 3,500 servicemembers, civilians and their family members yesterday at the Mainside parade field here.Video

Members of the International Security Assistance Force and senior officials from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, pay their respects to nine U.S. soldiers killed in Nuristan province during a ramp ceremony at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. State Department

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Flag Day Honors American Ideals, Sacrifices WASHINGTON, June 14, 2010 – Military personnel at Dover Air Force Base, Del., performed their duties with solemn respect over the past several weeks as U.S. servicemembers killed in Afghanistan returned to U.S. soil.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: NFL and Pat Tillman foundation team up to create NFL-Tillman Scholarship The NFL and the Pat Tillman Foundation have created the NFL-Tillman Scholarship, it was announced Wednesday. The announcement was made at the Pat Tillman Legacy Summit in Washington, D.C., where Washington Redskins players, Tillman Military Scholars, and NFL staff visited injured service members at Walter Reed Hospital.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Celebrate Independence Day with Disabled Veterans WASHINGTON – The Fourth of July celebration in Denver takes on special importance this year when more than 500 wheelchair athletes who are all military Veterans begin competition at the 30th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. The event, presented each year by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Paralyzed Veterans of America, runs July 4 through July 9.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Vietnam Combat Lessons Apply Today, Mullen Says WASHINGTON, June 1, 2010 – The military's top officer yesterday called on Vietnam veterans to stay connected with today's servicemembers, saying their lessons learned, especially with post-traumatic stress disorder, can help veterans of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: VA Honors Military Sacrifice on Memorial Day WASHINGTON – From parades to somber ceremonies and a moment of silence, Americans will recall the sacrifices of military personnel who paid the ultimate price for freedom on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Statement by the President on Votes to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" I have long advocated that we repeal 'Don't Ask Don't Tell', and I am pleased that both the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee took important bipartisan steps toward repeal tonight. Key to successful repeal will be the ongoing Defense Department review, and as such I am grateful that the amendments offered by Representative Patrick Murphy and Senators Joseph Lieberman and Carl Levin that passed today will ensure that the Department of Defense can complete that comprehensive review that will allow our military and their families the opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process. Our military is made up of the best and bravest men and women in our nation, and my greatest honor is leading them as Commander-in-Chief. This legislation will help make our Armed Forces even stronger and more inclusive by allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve honestly and with integrity.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Filner Calls on Private Sector, Government to Recognize the Value of Veterans in America's Workforce Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, May 26, 2010, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) led a roundtable discussion to review the status of veteran employment, highlight the success of top military-friendly businesses, discuss stakeholder plans for improving veteran employment access in all sectors, and identify steps Congress can take to assist veterans obtain employment. The roundtable format allows participants to share relevant information in a more conversational and less-formal setting.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Gates Thanks Spouses for Soldier Support FORT RILEY, Kan., May 8, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with military spouses during a town hall meeting here. He discussed local school issues and healthcare before thanking the spouses supporting their soldiers.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Chairman Tells Troops It's OK to Get Help FALLS CHURCH, Va., May 7, 2010 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wants servicemembers to know it's OK to get help for behavioral health-related conditions.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Better Prosthetics Coming for Wounded Warriors FORT DETRICK, Md., April 22, 2010 – From developing a new microprocessor-controlled prosthetic leg to a non-chafing socket device, the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center here is making big strides in advancing prosthetic science to improve wounded warriors' quality of life.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: VA Uses Recovery Act Money to Repair Historic Monuments WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs will use up to $4.4 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program to repair and preserve historic monuments and memorials at VA-operated national cemeteries, soldiers’ lots and other facilities throughout the United States.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Disabled Vet Finds New Ways to Represent Country WASHINGTON, April 6, 2010 – Army Veteran Patrick McDonald (on left in photo) loved serving his country, but after a tragic training accident in South Korea in 1991, his four-year military career came to an end.

Army Col. (Dr.) William Bernhard is serving a voluntary rotation in Hohenfels, Germany. The 79-year-old flight surgeon, who has retired from the military four times, said this will be his last active-duty assignment. U.S. Army

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Face of Defense: Soldier, 79, Continues to Serve "JFK once said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country,'" Bernhard said. "And I've always tried to do that."

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Mullen, USO Performers Thank Troops in Kuwait KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait, April 1, 2010 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ended a trip to the U.S. Central Command region with a stop to meet logisticians here.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Afghanistan Troop Level to Eclipse Iraq By Midyear WASHINGTON (March 24, 2010) -- This summer will mark the first time since 2003 that the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan will overshadow the American presence in Iraq, the top U.S. military officer told Congress today.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Pentagon Changes 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Enforcement WASHINGTON, March 25, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced changes to the Pentagon's regulation on homosexuals serving in the military that he said make the Defense Department's enforcement of the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law "fairer and more appropriate."

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Akaka Receives Advocate of the Year Award From The National Association Of State Directors Of Veterans Affairs WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA) presented U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) with its Advocate of the Year award in recognition of his work for veterans, their families, and their survivors.  NASDVA honored Akaka with the award this morning following a Joint Hearing of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: New Members Appointed to Committee on Women Veterans WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has appointed six new members to the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, an expert panel that advises the Department of Veterans Affairs on a wide array of issues affecting women Veterans.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: President Obama Donates $250,000 to Fisher House WASHINGTON – President Obama today announced the charities that will receive a portion of the $1.4 million award that comes with the Nobel peace prize.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: VA Celebrates Women's History Month The Department of Veterans Affairs joins with the nation to observe Women's History Month in March by recognizing and honoring women Veterans.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Olympic Gold Medalist Bode Miller and Olympian Casey Puckett to Join Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth at VA's National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic On Wednesday, March 31, Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion Alpine skier Bode Miller and Olympian Casey Puckett will join Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs L. Tammy Duckworth at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass Village, Colo.  The Clinic, in its 24th year, teaches adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing to more than 400 disabled Veterans annually. 

Military & Veterans News Vet News: Military Leads Mental Health Care Transformation WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2010 – The United States is in the middle of a "cultural transformation" in mental health treatment led by the Defense Department and the military services, the department’s top mental health expert told a congressional panel today.