By Megan McCloskey
Published: October 18, 2012
WASHINGTON — The Army psychiatrist accused of the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood must shave his beard, an Army court ruled Thursday.
The accused, Maj. Nidal Hasan, started growing the beard in confinement and has refused to shave in defiance of Army grooming regulations. The judge in his case, Col. Gregory Gross, ordered him forcibly shaved if he wouldn’t do so voluntarily.
By Megan McCloskey
Published: October 18, 2012
WASHINGTON — Victims of the Fort Hood shooting are rallying in a grassroots effort to get the rampage classified as an act of terrorism.
A coalition of 160 victims and family members released a video Thursday detailing what happened at the Texas military base on Nov. 5, 2009, and why they believe it was a terror attack.
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, shakes hands with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney prior to their second presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on Tuesday, October 16, 2012. Wanglei, Xinhua, Zuma Press/MCT
By Leo Shane III
Published: October 17, 2012
WASHINGTON -- After two presidential debates, here’s a quick scorecard:
- Number of times the candidates said “Afghanistan” – 2
- Number of times the candidates said “veterans” – 2
- Number of times the candidates said “soldiers” – 2
- Number of times the candidates said “jobs” – 106
- Number of times the candidates said “Big Bird” – 2
Unlike last week’s vice presidential debate, where foreign policy and national security were major topics of discussion, President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney focused almost exclusively on domestic policy issues in their second debate and have barely mentioned issues surrounding servicemembers and veterans in either of their two debates.
By Megan McCloskey
Published: October 15, 2012
WASHINGTON - There’s a new movie in theaters, featuring a reckless, divorced, alcoholic, suicidal, nightmare-addled veteran in trouble with the law.
Hear that? That sound is veterans all over the country sighing.
By Leo Shane III
Published: October 12, 2012
WASHINGTON – Foreign policy was a focal point of Thursday night’s vice-presidential debate, offering for the first time a closer look at the possible paths ahead in Afghanistan and a preview of what the presidential candidates will say later this month.
Here are a few excerpts from Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., from the event:
By Jennifer Hlad
Published: October 11, 2012
The National Military Family Association on Thursday launched a new app to answer questions and help military families find support as they navigate deployments, education, retirement and other major life events.
The app, free and available for iPhone and Android, is called MyMilitaryLife. So far, only three “life paths” are active: spouse education, deployment and separation or retirement. More paths, such as moving and caring for an injured spouse, will be activated in the coming months, said Mary Scott, chairwoman of the National Military Family Association’s board.
By Jennifer Hlad
Published: October 9, 2012
The Navy kicked off its birthday week Tuesday morning, not with a buttercream-frosted submarine to rival the Army’s cupcake-covered tank, but with a celebration of the Naval Academy football team’s overtime win Saturday over Air Force.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert also reassured the sailors gathered in the Pentagon’s auditorium that it is “perfectly acceptable” shout “Beat Army,” even in a formal setting.
By Leo Shane III
Published: October 5, 2012
WASHINGTON – The nation’s positive jobs report on Friday included good news about veterans, with the unemployment rate for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan era dropping below 10 percent for the sixth month this year.
Bureau of Labor Statistics officials estimate the September unemployment rate for that group at 9.7 percent, more than one percent less than the August rate. For 2012, the monthly average unemployment rate sits at 9.8 percent for those veterans, well below the 12.1 percent rate of 2011 and on pace for the lowest mark since 2009.
By Chris Carroll
Published: October 4, 2012
WASHINGTON – A new threat of cyberattack from an “unusual source” is reigniting congressional interest in hardening U.S. online defenses, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said Thursday.
The House of Representatives passed, with bipartisan support, a bill to promote sharing of information on cyberattacks earlier this year. But the Senate effort to craft cyber legislation is stalled mostly along party lines, and the Obama administration is weighing an executive order to protect the country from attempts to steal secrets online, scramble computer networks or destroy critical infrastructure.
By Leo Shane III
Published: October 4, 2012
WASHINGTON – Wednesday’s debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney featured plenty of discussion on government spending and looming budget cuts, but only a few passing comments on defense funding and no mention of veterans programs.
That’s not a big surprise, considering that jobs and the economy have dominated the campaign trail. The two men spent the first half of the debate focused mainly on tax rates and the national debt, trading barbs over whose plan was better suited to fix the country’s fiscal challenges.
