Shutdown halts death benefits for military families
A growing number of military families are facing temporary denial of the $100,000 death gratuity benefit the Defense Department typically provides after service members are killed while on active duty.
At least 17 troops have died — including six killed in Afghanistan — since the government shutdown began Oct. 1. But their family members have not immediately received the lump sum payments known as a “gratuity benefits.”
For most Guardsmen, shutdown means no pay, no training
Members of the National Guard remain in limbo during the shutdown, with their weekend drills canceled and the funding necessary for training exercises left unapproved.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s Monday announcement that the Pay Our Military Act allows many civilian employees of the Defense Department to return to work, and also guarantees payment for the military, does not help most National Guardsmen.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Angel L. Lopez, 27, of Parma, Ohio, died Oct. 5, in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire.
He was assigned to the 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky.
For more information, media may contact the Fort Knox public affairs office at 502-624-3051.
Original link: http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=16305
Support for Senator Gillibrand’s approach is building. Far from stripping commanders of accountability, as some critics have suggested, removing prosecution decisions in sexual assault and other serious crimes from the chain of command would not undermine discipline or end commanders’ responsibility to set the proper climate.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/opinion/broken-military-justice.html?_r=0
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaches Epidemic Levels Among Veterans
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 20 percent of Iraqi War veterans, and 11 percent of those returning from the war in Afghanistan, suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Mental health issues among service members have reached a crisis level. The Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have recognized the gravity of this epidemic and are now actively supporting mind-body modalities, from yoga to mindfulness practice, as a complement to traditional drug and talk therapies for veterans.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1513185#ixzz2hEnICLNd
Veterans, impatient over shutdown, demand protection for VA benefits
WASHINGTON — Veterans groups, angry that they are being used as political pawns, are lashing out at lawmakers, telling them to find an end to the government shutdown and ensure that veterans benefits and services aren’t disrupted.
Naval Academy superintendent doesn’t have to recuse himself from sexual assault case
A federal judge on Monday denied an attempt to force the superintendent of the Naval Academy to recuse himself from a case of alleged sexual assault by three former Navy football players.
The victim of the alleged assault — a 21-year-old female midshipman — had filed a federal lawsuit seeking an injunction that would require the academy’s superintendent, Vice Adm. Michael H. Miller, to give up authority over the case. Miller is responsible for deciding whether the three accused midshipmen should face courts-martial, the military equivalent of trials.
Judge declines to require Naval Academy superintendent to recuse himself in sex assault case
BALTIMORE — A federal judge on Monday declined to order the U.S. Naval Academy superintendent to recuse himself from deciding whether three midshipmen face a court-martial in a sexual assault case.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander said she could not find precedent for a federal court to interfere with a pending investigation in military court.
Read more: http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/a13afd477169454194bfc8cefed76630/US-Naval-Academy-Sexual-Assault
Breaking the Silence Around PTSD in the Military
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is heavily stigmatized in the military/police/veterans community. First, any form of mental illness is often seen as a sign of weakness — a cardinal sin in those organizations. Second, there is a pervasive belief that anyone claiming PTSD is faking it in order to receive medical benefits. It is often held that the only people ‘entitled’ to have PTSD are those who saw combat, witnessed genocide, etc, and that anyone else is a faker.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jeff-rosemartland/ptsd-and-the-military_b_4016389.html?just_reloaded=1
Military high court to hear HIV exposure case
WICHITA, Kan. — The highest court for the U.S. armed forces has agreed to hear the appeal of a Kansas airman convicted of assault for exposing multiple sex partners to HIV at swinger parties in Wichita, his attorney said Friday.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 