By Debbie Gregory. Senate lawmakers approved the Veterans First Act, a veterans benefits bill that expands programs by reworking the GI Bill housing payments. The Senate bill would reduce the annual increase to the monthly housing allowance for all recipients of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, including veterans themselves, by 1 percent for five years, mirroring […]
By Debbie Gregory. In what could potentially be really good news in fighting terrorism and really bad news for terrorists, researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison have developed drones that can detect improvised explosive devices and active land mines. The technology can detect chemical and nuclear weapons and drugs. Robot drones can be […]
By Debbie Gregory. More than 300 representatives of veteran employers attended a Starbucks’ hosted muster to discuss jobs for military veterans. Starbucks and the Schultz Family Foundation brought participants together for their second muster, an Old English military term for the process of accounting for members of a unit, generally after a battle — to help […]
By Debbie Gregory. The Archdiocese of the Military Services is looking to increase the numbers of priests serving in the military. Though Catholics account for roughly one quarter of all U.S. service members worldwide, there are slightly more than 200 Catholic chaplains. “For God and Country” was a retreat sponsored by the archdiocese, the endorsing […]
By Debbie Gregory. Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland’s Army career changed course during his second deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. The Green Beret was facing discharge for striking an Afghan local police officer, one who had allegedly confessed to raping a boy and then beating the child’s mother for telling authorities. Called bacha bazi, or “boy play,” the custom […]
By Debbie Gregory. Throughout American history, there have been notable American political leaders who have served in the military. Veterans possess many qualities our country and communities need in our civic and political leaders: a commitment to serve, outstanding leadership experience in the face of adversity, familiarity with diversity, and a first-hand experience of foreign […]
By Debbie Gregory. A prominent condition affecting Gulf War Veterans is a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms that can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, and memory problems. Now, a Peoria-based medical school professor has received $715,000 from the U.S. Department of Defense to investigate what might have caused Gulf […]
By Debbie Gregory. The VA was proud to support the more than 500 ill and injured military Veterans from 15 Nations who traveled to Orlando, Florida, to compete in the 2016 Invictus Games. The competitors hailed from Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and […]
By Elaine Lowry Brye I am a military mom and I have the grey hair, tear-stained pillows, and overwhelming pride that goes with it. I know how to say goodbye with a smile and a heavy heart. I have mailed countless care packages, waited for phone calls or texts that don’t come, and sobbed with […]
By Debbie Gregory. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently visited a firebase in Iraq to award Purple Hearts to four Marines injured in a March rocket attack carried out by the Islamic State group. “In all the years, I have not awarded anybody a Purple Heart on the ground where they received […]
