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.   Now open: First uniform store for wounded troops.  The first store in the Defense Department designed specifically to cater to wounded troops evacuated from the war zone has opened.
 
2.   Men are latest alleged victims of sex crimes by Air Force trainers.  One male and one female trainer at being investigated for offenses in growing Lackland scandal.
 
3.   Panetta: US hostages taken in Algeria attack a ‘terrorist act’.  Americans are among the hostages taken at an energy company complex in southern Algeria, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.

4. Group Reports Top Numbers in Wounded Warrior Jobs.  A national organization has had such a high rate of success in its jobs program for severely wounded warriors, it’s calling on the Defense Department and other agencies to adopt its approach, officials of the nonprofit group announced.  At a news conference conducted by the National Organization on Disability at the Disabled American Veterans headquarters here today, officials said an evaluation of its four-year program shows 70 percent of its seriously wounded warriors are experiencing employment and education success at about twice the rate of veterans who are not in the program.
 
5.   President Signs Bill Establishing Liberty Memorial As Home Of World War I Centennial Commission.  Kansas City (MO) Star  “President Barack Obama has signed a bill creating a national commission to mark the centennial of World War I and anchoring it at Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial.” The Star adds, “The 12-member commission will meet initially and a least once a year at the Liberty Memorial, home to the National World War I Museum. Its members will be appointed by Congress and the White House, along with one member each to be named by the Liberty Memorial, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.”
 
6.   Obama Signs Slew Of Bills.  Politico  President Obama “on Monday signed 20 bills into law, from legislation naming post offices to bills authorizing intelligence spending and increasing penalties for stealing trade secrets for the benefit of foreign entities.” Among the bills signed into law was the Clothe a Homeless Hero Act, which requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) “to make every reasonable effort to give clothing items left at airport security checkpoints to local charities for use by homeless or needy veterans and veterans’ families.”
 
7.   House Completes $60 Billion In Hurricane Sandy Relief. Bloomberg News  “The US House completed a $60.2 billion aid plan to rebuild communities damaged by Hurricane Sandy two weeks after Northeast Republicans denounced Speaker John Boehner’s cancellation of an earlier vote. The House voted 241-180 today to add a $50.5 billion package of aid to a $9.7 billion measure passed by both houses of Congress on Jan. 4.” The bill “would provide $235 million to rebuild the flood-damaged Veterans’ Administration hospital in lower Manhattan as well as other VA medical facilities in the region.”
 
8.   Amendment To Bill Would Increase NCA Funding By One Million Dollars.  The Hill An amendment to the bill would “increase funding for the National Cemetery Administration by $1 million.”
 
9.   Zimmerman Confirmed As Head Of SD Veteran Affairs.  AP  “The South Dakota Senate has voted unanimously to confirm Larry Zimmerman as the state’s first secretary of Veterans Affairs. Zimmerman was previously the state command sergeant major in the South Dakota Army National Guard.” South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard “named Zimmerman as secretary of Veterans Affairs in late 2011, but he did not assume that role until completing his commitment as the Guard’s highest ranking noncommissioned officer.”
 
10.  Veteran Disability Costs More Than Doubled Since 2000. USA Today  “What the nation owes each year to veterans who are disabled during service has more than doubled since 2000, rising from $14.8 billion to $39.4 billion in 2011, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The toll of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where troops served repeatedly in combat zones, is a key contributor to escalating costs of individual disability payouts, says Alison Hickey, VA undersecretary for benefits,” who added, “I would call it unprecedented demand.” USA Today adds, “The number and complexity of disability claims has added to a backlog of pending cases, where 70% have been waiting longer than four months for the VA, Hickey says.”

Have You Heard?

Antibiotics: Don’t Use Them to Treat Colds or the Flu

If you’re suffering from a cold, the flu, or another virus, there are things you can do to help relieve the symptoms, but taking antibiotics will not help. Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections, such as strep throat.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health problem that is primarily being caused by the repeated and improper use of antibiotics.

You can help prevent antibiotic resistance by taking these actions:

• Don’t take antibiotics for viral infections, such as colds or the flu.
• If you are prescribed antibiotics for a bacterial infection, take the full course of treatment even if you begin to feel better after a few days.
• If you need to stop taking a course of antibiotics for some reason, discard leftover medication–do not save it for a future illness.
• Do not take antibiotics prescribed for someone else.
• If your healthcare provider determines that you do not have a bacterial infection, ask about ways to relieve your symptoms.  Don’t pressure your provider to prescribe antibiotics.