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

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1.   Austin, Rodriguez Confirmed to Lead Centcom, Africom.  American Forces Press Service:  The Senate yesterday confirmed two Army generals as the new commanders of regional combatant commands.  Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, currently the vice chief of staff of the Army, will succeed Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis as the next commander of U.S. Central Command.  Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, who now commands U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., will succeed Army Gen. Carter F. Ham as the commander of U.S. Africa Command.

2.   Senate Appoints Four Members to QDR Panel.  American Forces Press Service:  Retired Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Michele Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense for policy, are among four appointments to the Quadrennial Defense Review’s independent panel the Senate Armed Services Committee announced yesterday. Also named to the panel were retired Air Force Gen. Gregory S. Martin, former commander of Air Force Materiel Command, and retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, former Defense Intelligence Agency director.
 
3.   USS Pueblo being moved to war museum.  The USS Pueblo will be moved to North Korea’s huge museum in Pyongyang that is dedicated to the Korean War, that country’s news service said this week.

4.Senator asks AF leaders to consider firing general in Wilkerson case.  A U.S. senator is calling for the possible firing of the Air Force lieutenant general who set aside a jury’s guilty verdict in a sexual assault case and re-instated the fighter pilot to full-duty status.

5.International Women’s Day to be marked by film festival in Afghanistan.  International Women’s Day in Afghanistan is being celebrated this year with what organizers are billing as the first women’s film festival in the country’s history.

6.   Military leaders welcome House GOP spending bill. AP:  A massive House Republican measure to keep the government operating would ease some of the pain of automatic spending cuts slamming the Defense Department, the nation’s senior military leaders told Congress on Tuesday.The GOP measure unveiled on Monday would give the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments sought-after flexibility in spending that other agencies lack.
7.   Lawmakers want thousands of ‘personality disorder’ discharges reviewed.  Many veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, including women service members traumatized by sexual assaults suffered within the military, have been wrongly diagnosed with personality disorders and improperly discharged and denied veterans benefits, according to Congressman Tim Walz.

8. Are brain injuries from IED blasts causing the military suicide crisis?  NBC News:  In the letter, sent Tuesday to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, the lawmakers urged both agencies to provide Congress with a raft of figures, including the number of Iraq and Afghanistan service members and veterans who committed suicide or tried to end their lives after being brain injured by the detonation of an improvised explosive device — “the weapon of choice” in both wars.

9.   Help a Veteran by Hiring a Veteran.  HuffPost Blog:  Hiring a veteran is not just the right thing to do, but it is one of the best decisions a business can make for their bottom line for a multitude of reasons: leadership, trustworthiness, dependability, training, education, integrity, maturity, and many more.

10.  Blind Vets Warn Against VA Funding Guide Dogs.  Military.com: The Blind Veterans Association is warning lawmakers against passing legislation – already sidetracked at least twice – to have the Department of Veterans Affairs cover costs of getting guide dogs for blind vets.
 

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Student Vets Group Develops Clearer Picture of Graduation Rates;  A leading student Veterans group has taken a look into the graduation rate for student Vets. Read more at VAntage Point»