IAVA Daily Brief 07.01.09

MUST READS

(1) Lung disease of soldier linked to burn pits [2]

A team of Army doctors, tasked with trying to determine why 56 soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division came back from Iraq short of breath, has concluded that one of the soldier's cystic lung disease is related to burn pit exposure.  Following biopsies, the team concluded that each had bronchiolitis - an obstruction of the lungs’ tiniest airways - which is normally associated with organ transplantation, infection, rheumatoid arthritis or toxic fume inhalation.  One of the doctors, Robert Miller of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is now recommending the military require baseline pulmonary function tests for all active-duty service members so the military has data sets to compare with post-deployment.  To learn more about the cases reviewed by the medical team, click here [2].

(2) Sec. Gates wants to soften DADT expulsion rules [3]

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters Tuesday he wants to make the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" [3]law prohibiting gays from serving openly in the armed forces “more humane” until Congress eventually repeals it. Gates said he has lawyers studying ways the law might be selectively enforced because the Clinton-era ban was written without much wiggle room.  As an example, Gates said the military might not have to expel someone whose sexual orientation was revealed by a third party out of vindictiveness or suspect motives.

Gates remarks came on the same day a Federal Recognition Board in Syracuse recommended that Lt. Dan Choi [4], a 2003 West Point grad and National Guard officer, be discharged for publicly announcing he’s gay in the Military Times and on MSNBC.  According to the New York Army National Guard, Choi would be the first New York National Guard member discharged for violating DADT policy.  Choi's lawyer said he will likely receive an honorable or a general discharge but could lose some of his veteran educational benefits.

(3) IAVA Issues New Report on Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program [5]

On Tuesday, IAVA released a new report published in conjunction with Kimberly Jackson, a former Senate defense staffer turned graduate student, assessing the implementation and progress the Department of Defense has made with the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program since its passage in January 2008.  While the YRRR is a valuable readjustment program for returning Guard & Reservists, IAVA found that the ad-hoc funding process is hampering implementation, coordination is proving a significant challenge and metrics to evaluate the program's success are inconsistent or nonexistent.  As a result, IAVA is recommending Congress fully fund the YRRP in the federal budget and that states appoint liaisons in each State National Guard organization and Reserve command.  To read IAVA's full key findings and policy recommendations in the report, click here [6].

AFGHANISTAN

The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward reports today that national security adviser James L. Jones [7] told U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan last week that the Obama administration wants to hold troop levels there flat for now, focusing instead on carrying out the previously approved strategy of increased economic development, improved governance and participation by the Afghan military and civilians in the conflict.  "This will not be won by the military alone," Jones said in an interview. "We tried that for six years… The piece of the strategy that has to work in the next year is economic development. If that is not done right, there are not enough troops in the world to succeed."

Meanwhile, Associated Press published a feature today on the type of stalemate that U.S. Marines are facing in some Afghan villages like Now Zad [8] where Taliban militants have effectively pushed out upwards of 30,000 locals by lacing the region with land mines.  Just across the Afghan border, Taliban militants [9] in North Waziristan also said Tuesday they have pulled out of a peace deal with the Pakistani government, raising the prospect of wider unrest as the Pakistani army extends its efforts to eliminate insurgents.

CNN has a feature today on the Callaway family [10] of McDonough, Georgia whose three sons - Ryan, 25, Jared, 23, and 20-year-old Seth- are currently serving together in Afghanistan in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment of the 48th Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard.  Afghanistan is the second war that Ryan and Jared Callaway have fought for their country. From 2005 to 2006, they also served in Iraq.   Read their story here [10].

IRAQ

As Iraq celebrated Tuesday’s deadline for U.S. troops to depart from its cities, a car bomb [11] exploded in Kirkuk killing at least 40 people and wounding more than 100.

Back in Washington, D.C., President Obama [12] said the Iraqi people were rightly treating the deadline as a “cause for celebration” but that there would be difficult days ahead.  “Make no mistake: There will be difficult days ahead,” he said. “There’s more work to be done, but we’ve made important progress in supporting a sovereign, stable Iraq.”  Meanwhile, in a televised address, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who had warned that insurgents would mount attacks around Tuesday’s deadline, said: “Those who think that Iraqis are not able to protect their country and that the withdrawal of foreign forces will create a security vacuum are committing a big mistake.”

Separately, Gen. Ray Odierno [13], the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, accused Iran on Tuesday of continuing to support and train militants who are carrying out attacks, including most of the ones in Baghdad.  “Iran is still supporting, funding and training surrogates who operate inside of Iraq. They have not stopped and I don’t think they will stop,” Odierno told reporters at the U.S. military headquarters outside Baghdad. “I think many of the attacks in Baghdad are from individuals that have been in fact funded or trained by the Iranians.”  Still, Gen. Odierno said intelligence hasn’t detected any changes since Tehran has been gripped by massive street protests following charges of fraud in the June 12 presidential election. 

MILITARY AFFAIRS

According to prosecutors, U.S. Navy ships at Mina Salman [14] in Bahrain were the target of an alleged al-Qaeda terror attack orchestrated by two Bahrainis, aged 22 and 21.  Appearing before a High Court for the first time Tuesday, the suspects were arrested on April 26th - the day of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix- when police allegedly seized machine guns, weapons, computer discs and other evidence from their homes in East Riffa. Their arrest came after National Security Agency received information that the 22-year-old unemployed man, of Jordanian origin, had intensified contacts with an al-Qaeda cell in Iran.

Stateside, the body of Christopher Pine [15], a homeless veteran, was found outside the Alvic C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on Sunday.  Chris Conklin, a spokesman for the hospital, said Pine, who was in his 40s, was receiving care through the VA, but it wasn't clear if he was currently being treated at the hospital.  Pine is believed to have fallen down an embankment, injured his hand and his ankle, before succumbing to heat exposure.  The Murfreesboro hospital has been under investigation recently for equipment sanitation failures that may have exposed veteran patients to HIV, Hepatitis and other diseases.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

As the number of unprocessed VA disability claims approaches 1 million, Rep. G.K. Butterfield [16] (D-NC) is proposing tackling the backlog by awarding benefits to veterans after 18 months if their claim hasn’t been processed.  “Backlogs are at the point where veterans must wait an average of six months for a decision on benefits claims and some veterans are waiting as long as four years,” Butterfield said in a statement. “Veterans deserve better than this.” H.R. 3087 would automatically approve a veteran’s claim if no decision is made by the VA within 18 months; however, it doesn’t say exactly how the VA would do this, only creating a task force to monitor the VA to make sure the 18-month deadline isn’t met with an arbitrary denial just before the claim must be paid.

Meanwhile, three veteran service organizations - Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Common Sense- issued a joint letter [17] to President Obama asking the Administration to release pictures of abusive treatment of detainees by U.S. soldiers saying the images are crucial to U.S. national security and upholding international law.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE 

The Senate will reconvene at 2:00 pm on Monday, July 6, 2009.

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS  of  INTEREST

• July 14, 2009 - SVAC will hold a hearing entitled, “Women Veterans: Bridging the Gaps in Care.”  9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell (Vasquez)
• July 29, 2009 - SVAC will hold a hearing entitled, "Review of Veterans' Disability Compensation: Forging a Path Forward."  9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell (Smith)

THE HOUSE of  REPRESENTATIVES       

The House is not in session but will reconvene on Tuesday July 7, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

FUTURE  HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of  INTEREST
      

• July 8, 2009  Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing:  Enforcement of VA’s Brachytherapy Program Safety Standards 1:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon
• July 9, 2009  Subcommittee on Health Markup of Pending Legislation 10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon
  
• July 9, 2009  Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Markup of Pending Legislation  2:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon
  
• July 14, 2009  Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing: Examining the Progress of Electronic Health Record Interoperability Between VA and DoD  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB
  
• July 16, 2009  Joint Subcommittees on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs and Health Hearing:  Eliminating the Gaps: Examining Women Veterans’ Issues  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB
  
• July 23, 2009  Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Hearing:   Examining Quality of Life and Ancillary Benefits Issues  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB
  
• July 30, 2009  Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing:  The Implications of VA’s Limited Scope of Gulf War Illness Research  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

IAVA IN THE NEWS

Outlet: CNN International

Title: U.S. Troops Pullout of Iraqi Cities

Date: Tuesday, June 30h

Representative: Tom Tarantino

 

Outlet: Huffington Post

Title: Marine Finds Unlikely Reinforcements Online: Nerds [18]

Date: Tuesday, June 30th

Representative: Paul Rieckhoff, IAVA

 

Outlet: KTRS Radio/St. Louis

Title: U.S. Pulls Out of Iraqi Cities [19]

Date: Tuesday, June 30^th

Representative: Paul Rieckhoff

 

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles.  These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA.