IAVA Daily Brief 4.16.10

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA. Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking? Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom [4] or subscribe to receive the brief in your inbox each morning at www.iava.org/dailynewsbrief [5].

MUST READS

1) Military archiving graveside mementoes from Arlington’s Section 60 [6]

Without a national memorial to the more than 5,300 servicemembers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, Section 60 in Arlington Cemetery has become its own community of remembrance. The military has now begun a project to archive the thousands of mementoes left graveside at Section 60 — Arlington’s primary resting place for service members killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2) War takes toll on military children [7]

Children of troops deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq are more likely than other kids to suffer from anxiety when a parent is away and even after the parent returns home, according to new research. The research found that girls were more likely to act out and exhibit disruptive behavior when the parent was deployed. The problems with boys tended to show up after the deployed parent returned home.

3) Army wives share stories about their PTSD-affected husbands [8]

Many family members of soldiers returning from their deployment with post-traumatic stress disorder say the stigma associated with seeking psychiatric help has hurt their cause. As the Army continues to experience rising rates of suicide among soldiers, ABC News documents two families coping with the aftermath of PTSD.

4) Networking a Community of Veterans [9]

Technology web site Tech President featured Community of Veterans, IAVA's online social network exclusively for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, housed at IAVA.org. As Tech President notes, IAVA carved out its home online from the very start and the online community has helped veterans across the U.S. to build a support network. Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan can sign up for the community here [10].

AFGHANISTAN

Deep in the Taliban heartland, U.S. troops try to win hearts and minds [11] by reopening a school and the obstacles they have met show how tough it will be to win the war in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon has increased its use of the military’s most elite special operations teams in Afghanistan, more than doubling the number of the highly trained teams assigned to hunt down Taliban leaders [12], according to senior officials.

A recent Congressional Research Service analysis found that the number of civilian contractors killed in Afghanistan in recent months is accelerating, as civilian contractors now outnumber troops [13] on the ground.

IRAQ

A choking fan at Yankee stadium was rescued yesterday by an Army medic who served in Iraq. And the reward for John Stone, a staff sergeant in the Connecticut National Guard, was an upgraded seat [14] and all the liquor he could drink.

When Iraq finally forms a new government, one thing is certain – there will be many new faces. Only 62 of 275 incumbents were re-elected and a new law requires that 25 percent of the parliament must be female [15].

Former prime minister Ayad Allawi, whose bloc won the largest number of seats in Iraq’s March 7 parliamentary elections, warned recently [16] that the country could slide into a sectarian war if his group is shut out of the next government.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

A new Pentagon report into Major Nidal Hasan’s shooting rampage that killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, concluded that the existing Department of Defense safeguards were "unclear" or "inadequate" to identify the threat [17] .

Women have a place on submarines, cigarettes do not, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said Tuesday afternoon during a visit [18] of naval facilities in Kitsap, Wash.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed off on a new policy [19] regulating how privately owned guns can be carried or stored on U.S. military installations.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

A bipartisan bill designed to reward success and punish failure in managing hundreds of billions of dollars of Pentagon spending has been introduced [20] by leaders of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

Senators said Thursday they will move cautiously [21] on a new military command to tackle cyberthreats, citing questions about how the U.S. would conduct electronic warfare.

A Marine has removed his Facebook page [22] after his comments fueled a free-speech debate about whether troops are allowed to criticize President Barack Obama's policies while serving in the military.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate is not in session

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

April 15, 2010 Senate Appropriations MilCon-VA Subcommittee Hearing: FY 2011 Budget. Witnesses from VA: The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki 2:00 p.m.; Dirksen 124

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

April 21, 2010: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing: Oversight Hearing: Implementation of the New Post-9/11 GI Bill – Looking Back and Moving Forward 9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell

May 5, 2010: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing: VA Disability

May 19 2010 Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing: Pending Legislation 9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell

THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES 



The House will convene at 9:00 a.m.

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST 



No issues

FUTURE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST 



April 22, 2010 House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Hearing: Examining VA’s Fiduciary Program: How Can VA Better Protect Vulnerable Veterans and Their Families? 2:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

May 5, 2010 House Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing: Status Update on the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study 10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon House Office Building

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 .