VFA News Analysis: July 17, 2008

The military’s heavy reliance on Guard and Reserve forces to fight wars has been hard on the part-time troops, their families and many small businesses. Will any efforts to alleviate the burden be successful, short of changing the currently costly deployment policy? We know that there are plenty of reasons to keep our Guard and Reserve near to home: fires, floods and, still, Katrina.

Members of Congress join to all for compensation payments to troops affected by “stop-loss,” which involuntarily extends military service beyond an enlistment contract. Support the Stop-Loss Compensation Act.

Facing multiple deployments to high-intensity combat zones, our troops have more than bullets and bombs to worry about: they have their own children. How are kids coping with their parents’ war.

Troops in Iraq: We want to fight in Afghanistan. A shift of forces from Iraq to Afghanistan may be in the works.

For the first time, a four-star general is set to lead the National Guard Bureau.

The Army issues new guidelines for Traumatic Brain Injury care – all soldiers involved in a blast, fall, vehicle crash or direct impact incident who lose consciousness or become dizzy must bee seen by a medical professional.

“I’m scared I’m going to miss my family a lot.”

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