Veterans For America

The House of Representatives passes eight veterans’ benefits bills to speed approval of benefit claims ad expand legal and financial protections for deployed service members, among others. Another allows sole surviving siblings to be discharged early and keep their benefits. Meanwhile, a House subcommittee approved monthly payments to those who have been impacted by stop-loss.

A handheld device for determining if a soldier has suffered a traumatic brain injury on the battlefield is good news for treating a signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

President Bush insists Iraq is improving and troops will serve shorter combat tours – 12 months instead of 15.  Defense Secretary Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen have both already declared such a move will not provide relief to already overstretched troops and their families. Already, we are witness to the destruction of our National Guard – some of whom recently learned that they may have been exposed to dangerously toxic chemicals while posted to Iraq a few years ago.How overstretched is our military?

The Marine Corps has moved to hire civilian police officers to free up active-duty Marines to serve in combat. The plan calls for about 1,200 civilian officers by the end of 2011 — including 400 this year.

Vietnam vets see kindred spirits in the ranks of the newly minted Iraq vets — and vice versa.

Federal regulators will now examine a bank that refused to waive check-cashing procedures so a California couple could pay for the funeral of their son who was killed while serving in the Navy in Afghanistan.