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

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1.    A year after bin Laden’s death, al-Qaida ‘far from defeated’.  The death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of U.S. Navy commandos a year ago was a setback to al-Qaida, but the Islamic terror organization remains a potent threat around the world, intelligence experts say.
 
2.    A get-tough approach now drives Israel policy.  With a military operation in 2002, Israel took a step away from the internationally brokered peace deals that dominated the 1990s and the idea that its security could be achieved through compromise with Palestinians.
 
3.    Panetta to warn troops about the effect of bad PR on the war effort.  When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta travels Friday to visit soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga., he’ll personally remind them of the harm that lapses in judgment and unwisely publicized photos and videos can inflict on the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

4.    Without doctor, veterans clinic relying on PA.  StarNewsOnline.com  Veterans who are patients at the Brunswick County Outreach Clinic that opened in August have been seen by a physician assistant since the clinic’s only doctor left, but a new doctor will start this month, a Veterans Affairs spokeswoman said …

5.    Veterans Might Pay Fee to Live in Georgia War Veteran’s Home.  13WMAZ  The State of Georgia provided half the funding and the US Department of Veteran Affairs provided the other half. The Georgia State War Veteran’s Home has been providing free meals, medication, and room and board for all residents for more than 60 years …

6.    Shelby County veterans court group in New York on learning trip.  The Birmingham News – al.com (blog)  With assistance from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and other service providers, the court would supervise military veterans facing criminal charges. Circuit Judge Bill Bostick will preside over the court. On Sunday, he, along with eight others, …
7.    For veterans, a helping hand from state.  TheDay.com  Dannel P. Malloy has asked state agencies to interview veterans who apply for jobs in person because their military skills aren’t always evident on a resume. He hopes at least one veteran is interviewed for each state position.

8.    Returning from War to Fight for Jobs.  Patch.com  Others are turning to state and local government for help. Many efforts are under way across Maryland, including in Howard County, to help unemployed veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq find jobs. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and other state and education …

9.    Brenda York helps veterans with new beginnings.  Montana State University  More than 500 veterans are currently enrolled at MSU, while nationally, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 500000 men and women are using the post-9/11 GI Bill. With more veterans in the mix, and tens of thousands of troops …

10.  Another View: More help is fine, but it won’t fix VA’s broken health system.  Alexandria Town Talk  The US Department of Veterans Affairs has 16 initiatives under way as the organization resets its operations. Several of them relate to health and health care: »Conducting research to enhance the long-term health of veterans.

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More Veteran News

• At 102, Female WWII Veteran Keeps Doing Good Deeds.  Los Angeles Times  102-year-old World War II veteran California resident Bea Abrams Cohen was “recently recognized at a state Capitol celebration during Women’s Military History Week honoring the achievements of women in the armed forces.” The Times points out, “A resident of Westchester, Cohen is believed to be California’s oldest female veteran, according to the California Department of Veterans Affairs.” The Times also says that during a recent visit to VA’s Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center in North Hills, Cohen “helped Ontic, a Chatsworth aerospace manufacturing company, and the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a nonprofit veterans support organization, present dozens of quilts to former service members.”

•   Executive Order Protects Military, Vet Students.  American Forces Press Service  On Saturday, President Obama “dedicated his weekly radio and video address…to describing the advantages of a new executive order designed to crack down on bad actors who prey on service members and veterans considering higher education. Obama, who traveled” on Friday to “Fort Stewart, Ga., to unveil the new order, called it vital protection to brave men and women who are often bombarded by schools that provide false or misleading information about things like interest rates on loans, credit transfers, and job placement programs. The order, he explained, will make it easier for military members and veterans to make informed decisions about financial aid and paying for college and also takes a number of steps to fight deceptive practices by some institutions.”

• National Guard Members’ Next Battle: The Job Hunt.  NPR  As more US soldiers “return to civilian life, a civilian job may not be there waiting.” National Guard members “have the extra challenge of convincing employers to hire them when they may be called to active duty for a year or more. There are laws designed to protect vets from losing their jobs or promotions because of their service, but it’s hard to prove when it happens.”

•  Nuclea Partners With VA For Prostate Cancer Research.  Berkshire (MA) Eagle  “Nuclea Biotechnologies has entered into a research partnership with the Stratton Veterans Administration Medical Center in Albany, N.Y. to test a biomarker’s effectiveness in diagnosing the development of prostate cancer.” Larry Kaminsky, “chief of staff for Stratton’s research team, said the clinical test will take a year to complete. ‘If this works it will be a monumental discovery,’ Kaminsky said, ‘because right now when a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer there’s no way to determine if it will grow slowly or rapidly.'”

•   Physical Activity Could Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk, Study Finds.  American Medical News  “Being physically active may help reduce one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, even in older patients, according to a study published online April 18 in Neurology.” American Medical News adds, “Samuel Gandy, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and psychiatry and chair at the Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and James J. Peters VA Medical Center, said that only one randomized clinical trial has examined the impact of lifestyle on Alzheimer’s disease. The 2007 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society showed that exercise slows progression of the disease.”

•  Janice Furtado, 31, Counselor Trusted By Veterans.  Boston Globe  31-year-old Janice Furtado, a “readjustment counselor at the Brockton Vet Center, died April 13 in Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, a day after becoming ill with what apparently was a blood infection, though her family is awaiting test results.” She “‘had a remarkable gift of making contact with people and developing not just a relationship with them, but affirming people, letting them see their importance, letting them see their strength,’ said Nicholas Covino, a psychologist who is president of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, where Ms. Furtado was studying for a doctorate.”

•   UDM Students Create Tools To Help Disabled.  Detroit News  During a recent “speech at the University of Pennsylvania regarding her Joining Forces initiative, designed to assist military families,” First Lady Michelle Obama praised University of Detroit Mercy nursing and engineering students for designing devices “that will help veterans with disabilities return to the activities they love.” Molly McClelland, “assistant professor of nursing at the University of Detroit Mercy, said the mention was confirmation that the program is headed in the right direction.” The News adds, “The program, with its small teams of nursing and engineering students, has partnerships including Michigan Rehabilitation Services, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center and personal contacts, McClelland said.”

•    Walla Walla Vet Center To Hold Grand Opening Friday.  Walla Walla (WA) Union-Bulletin  A “new spot for veteran services will have a grand opening Friday at 11 a.m. Walla Walla Vet Center, 1104 W. Poplar St., will offer counseling services to combat veterans and their families.” Vet Centers are “community based and part” of the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

•    VA Sets Open House For Women’s Health Clinic.  Corning (NY) Leader   “The Bath VA Medical Center will host an open house for its new Women Veterans’ Health Clinic from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday.” The facility “will provide primary care and some gender-specific services in a private health care environment designed specifically to meet women’s clinical needs.”

•    South Bend VA Clinic Opens.  WBND-TV  “The wait is finally over for Michiana” veterans. Monday “marks the grand opening of South Bend’s new VA” outpatient clinic, which is “expected to serve more than 37,000 veterans living in St. Joseph and Elkhart counties. Right now, the closest clinics are in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.”