Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 3/5/14

Good news story of the day

San Jose Runners Take Detour to Thank World War II Veteran  (NBC Philadelphia)  When Mercury News reporter Julia Prodis Sulek woke up Sunday morning, she wasn’t sure why she heard all the clapping and cheering outside her San Jose home.

Military Transition

School liaison aims to improve transitions, community outreach  (21st Space Wing Public Affairs) Colorado Springs offers many lifestyle and volunteer opportunities. For families moving here with children, the task of finding a new school can be a daunting one.

Genesis10 helps military vets connect to the corporate world  (Kansas City Business Journal)  Security guard. Police officer. These are the boxes that confine members of the armed forces as they make the transition to the civilian work world.

20,400 fewer airmen in 2015, budget proposal shows  (Air Force Times)  The Air Force would shed 20,400 total force airmen in fiscal 2015 under the proposed budget released Tuesday.

Proposed military cuts a worry for Fort Jackson  (The State)  U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made big news last week by announcing deep cuts to the military, particularly the Army.

Davis-Monthan’s future is cloudy  (AZCentral)  Davis-Monthan Air Force Base faces an uncertain future following Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s recommendation this week to retire the entire A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet as part of a broader effort to reduce the military.

In planning for the future, the Pentagon sees fewer troops and more technology  (The Washington Post)  “I think we’re going to do pretty well in the budget, sir.”

Pentagon planning to cut 6,300 civilians in 2015  (The Hill)  The Pentagon plans to reduce the number of its civilian workers from about 755,400 in 2014 to 749,100 in 2015 — a reduction of 6,300 workers, or 1 percent, according to its 2015 defense budget request.

Veterans

Veterans Group Asks Supreme Court To Allow Cross On California Mountain  (Huffington Post)  A veterans group has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule a judge’s order to remove a war memorial cross from a Southern California mountain.

Nearly 1 in 5 had mental illness before enlisting in Army, study says  (The Los Angeles Times)  Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. soldiers had a common mental illness, such as depression, panic disorder or ADHD, before enlisting in the Army, according to a new study that raises questions about the military’s assessment and screening of recruits.

GallantFew’s Raider Project’s War on Veteran Suicide and Transition  (Reuters)  GallantFew has been extremely successful in the US Army Ranger veteran community attacking unemployment, suicide, and PTSD.

A local perspective on the transition from soldier to civilian  (KXXV)  After a recent military summit in Dallas, preparing veterans for civilian life is on the minds of many.  Of course that includes folks right here in Central Texas.

“Forgotten” no more: Korean War stories shared in film  (Pilot Online)  Conor Timmis learned almost nothing about the Korean War in school.

Gay Marine’s Amazing Journey From Homeless Shelter to Ivy League  (ABC News)  U.S. Marine veteran Elegance Bratton left his New Jersey home at age 16.

Veterans Affairs

2015 Budget: Obama Seeks More Money for Veterans   (The Wall Street Journal)  Two years after Congress turned him down the first time, President Barack Obama is seeking money for a jobs program that would put veterans to work in national parks and elsewhere.

North Little Rock site selected for new veterans home  (ArkTimes)  Cissy Rucker, director of the state Veterans Affairs Department, has announced her choice of a site recommended by a study group for a new state veterans home.

Veterans Affairs Asks for $200M IT Funding Boost  (Executive Gov)  The Veterans Affairs Department is seeking to increase its information technology budget to $3.9 billion in fiscal 2015 from $3.7 billion in FY 2014 funding or a 5 percent increase, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

VA and Women Veterans: “Fielding a Full Team”  (The White House)  In his State of the Union Address, President Obama declared, “We are stronger when America fields a full team.” As we move to leverage the power of a fully represented “Team America,” VA is advancing the cause of our 2.2 million women veterans.

Veterans Groups Urge Congress to Strengthen VA Budget  (Market Watch)  Four of the nation’s leading veterans service organizations—AMVETS, DAV, Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans), and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), are expressing their concerns with the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2015, which proposes $68.4 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Slight increase proposed in VA budget  (Military Times) The Veterans Affairs Department would see another modest increase in spending under the White House fiscal 2015 budget proposal, with more money for homelessness efforts and aid for returning combat troops.

IG: Managers let VA employee get away with cheating agency  (Military Times)  Poor management oversight allowed a Veterans Affairs Department employee to skip work, use government computers for sex chats and bilk the agency out of nearly $31,000, according to a new inspector general report.

Benefits

Army Budget Makes Force Structure, Modernization Cuts Official  (National Defense)  The Army is working to balance readiness, force structure and modernization, officials said during the unveiling of the service’s $120.5 billion fiscal year 2015 budget.

Customers would foot bill for commissary budget cuts  (Military Times)  As expected, commissary customers would foot the bill for operating the stores, according to details of the 2015 defense budget proposal released Tuesday.

2015 budget released: How the cuts affect pay, BAH, per diem and Tricare  (Military Times)  The Pentagon’s new budget released Tuesday says military personnel spending should fall to its lowest point since 2008 as cuts to compensation take effect and the force continues to shrink from its wartime peak.

DoD proposes wide-ranging Tricare fee hikes  (Military Times)  Tricare Prime, Standard and Extra would go the way of the dodo, replaced by a single Tricare plan with a fee structure adjusted to where beneficiaries get medical care, under the Pentagon’s proposed fiscal 2015 budget.

DoD pushes forward on pay, benefits cuts  (Army Times)  Never in the 40-year history of the all-volunteer force has the Pentagon sought to roll back the existing military compensation package for service members.

Lawmakers divided on possible 2017 BRAC round  (The Federal Times)  When it comes to a new round of base closures in 2017, lawmakers are split between lukewarm support, vehement opposition and general uncertainty.

Week ahead: Pentagon, Congress begin budget battle  (The Hill)  The Pentagon will unveil its 2015 budget proposal this week, beginning a contentious fight with Capitol Hill over the military’s spending priorities.

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Have a great day!