Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News – November 05, 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

 
1.   WWII Navy diver who helped turn ‘frogmen’ into SEALs dies.  John Spence, a diver often credited as the first U.S. combat “frogman” in World War II and an important figure in the rigorous training that led to the establishment of the Navy SEALs, has died. Rick Kaiser, executive director of the Navy SEAL Museum at Fort Pierce, Fla., said that Spence “fought for our country with nothing more than a Ka-Bar knife, a pack of explosives and a diving rig.”
 
2.   A plan to salute flag, veterans at stadiums.  If Robert Griffith’s plan takes hold, an Iraq War veteran wearing a Bears cap and Jay Cutler jersey would rise during the national anthem to salute the flag. A few rows away, a Marine from World War II would lock his right arm into a salute. All around Soldier Field, and at stadiums across the NFL, other veterans would stand and do the same.
 
3.   New restrictions placed on Marines’ tuition assistance program.  The Marine Corps has added a host of restrictions to its tuition assistance program, limiting the number of Marines eligible for subsidized college courses.

4.   Feds: Navy secrets bought with hookers, Gaga tickets.  The Malaysian defense contractor known in military circles as “Fat Leonard” used prostitutes, plane tickets and other bribes to hook the U.S. Naval officer into a scheme that overbilled the Pentagon by millions, investigators say in court papers.
5.   Female veterans find stage might.  Hyperlink to Article Stars and Stripes (Times Union): Penny McInnis is now undergoing music therapy at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, learning photography and using social media to work on behalf of all wounded veterans… “To me, something has happened,” McInnis said recently at the VA. “The play started it, and something snowballed. I feel like I can advocate now.”
6.   Limits on federal employee awards to continue.  Hyperlink to Article The Washington Post (Federal Eye Blog):  The House last week approved a bill to reduce by about 13 percent, to $345 million, the available award money at the Veterans Affairs Department, which has come under criticism for paying awards amid problems including a backlog of disability claims.
7.   Language in ACA Could Cost Veterans.  Hyperlink to Article Seattle Post-Intelligencer (The Military Wire Blog):  Veterans who are receiving health care benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs need not worry. Your benefits will continue as-is. However, if you don’t have coverage for your underage children, you will need to start shopping.
 
8.   Forget Kryptonite and superpowers — PTSD, soldier’s life color the hero in ‘Vindicated’.  America’s next comic book hero could be a member of the elite Delta Force who lost his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.


9.   State Sen. Patrick Colbeck: Legislature here to serve vets who served us.  Hyperlink to Article Detroit Free Press:  When we started, states which submitted 20% of their claims with all of the information needed by the VA to process their benefit claims were considered the “gold standard.” Michigan submitted only 4% of their claims as “fully developed,” which offers faster decisions by the VA. We are now submitting more than 22% of our claims to the VA as “fully developed.”
 
10. Hidden wounds of war: Part 1.  Northland’s NewsCenter  The U-S Department of Defense estimates that up to 20 percent of returning veterans will suffer from post-traumatic … to address their concerns,” said John Retzer, with the Minnesota Veterans Affairs Office in Minneapolis.
 

Have You Heard?

It’s American Diabetes Month. Are you a Veteran with diabetes mellitus type 2 who was exposed to Agent Orange during service? You may be eligible for VA benefits. Healthy eating habits and exercise can help prevent diabetes. Learn more.
Visit www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange  to find out more about Agent Orange and VA benefits.