News
More Republicans than Democrats see military service as asset for presidential candidates
Tuesday, May 20, 2014 | Category: Legislation - National
Republicans and Democrats have different wish lists when it comes to what traits they want in a candidate in preparation for the 216 presidential campaign. Military service tops the list for Republicans, while many Democrats would like to see a woman at the top of the ticket according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April 2014.
Reports of Sexual Assault Up Sharply
Thursday, May 1, 2014 | Category: Military Justice - National
The numbers break out this way: There were 5,061 sex assault reports in the 2013 fiscal year, which ended last September 30. That represents a 50% increase from the same period the year before.
Is This How to End Homelessness?
Tuesday, March 18, 2014 | Category: Housing/Experiencing Homelessness - National
Coordinator at the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness, is a Housing First advocate. Is the claim that veteran homelessness has come to an end untrue? The coordinator notes that in a transient population, people will always be coming in and out. She stated: “We like to say we’ve reached a point of functional zero, much like ‘full employment’ means four per cent are unemployed.”
War Workers: Vulnerable Foreign Laborers Swindled & Exploited to Toil on U.S. Bases in Afghanistan
Monday, March 10, 2014 | Category: Human Trafficking/Sexual Exploitation - International
Human trafficking brings many thousands of foreign laborers to work on U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. Democracy Now's "America’s War Workers" interviews laborers who are systematically deceived and indebted to local recruiters charging thousands of dollars and offering false promises of high-paying jobs. These laborers are easy prey for labor traffickers profiting from military contracts.
Military Sex Assault Trial Showcases 2 Approaches to Prosecution
Sunday, March 2, 2014 | Category: Military Justice - National
Using the Army Brigadier General Jeffrey A. Sinclair courts-martial case as a point of reference, perspectives on who should prosecute sexual assault cases in the military are discussed to include in or out of the military chain of command and in or out of the military.
Social Security Administration Announces New Expedited Disability Process for Veterans
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 | Category: Health Care - National
The SSA unveiled a new initiative to expedite disability claims by veterans with a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation rating of 100% Permanent & Total (P&T). Under the new process, Social Security will treat these veterans’ applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions, similar to the way the agency currently handles disability claims from Wounded Warriors.
Why #passMJIA? 50 Facts About Sexual Assault in the US Military
Thursday, January 23, 2014 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 is controversial because it proposes removing the prosecution of serious crimes in the armed forces (such as, but not limited to, sexual assault) from the chain of command.
Up to 48,000 Afghan, Iraq Vets at Risk for Homelessness
Friday, January 17, 2014 | Category: Housing/Experiencing Homelessness - National
The Veterans Administration released that nearly 50,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were either homeless or in a federal program aimed at keeping them off the streets during 2013. This is almost triple the number in 2011.
Suicide Rate Among Young Veterans Has Tripled, Report Finds
Saturday, January 11, 2014 | Category: Suicide - National
At least 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Young male veterans under the age of 30 are three times more likely to commit suicide when compared to civilian males in the same age group. Between 209-2011, the number of veteran suicides largely remained unchanged. However, the number of 18-24 year old male veterans who committed suicide increased by a rate of 33 per 100,000 over the three year period.
South Korea's Juicy Bars: One Woman's Story of Slavery and Escape
Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
In bars close to U.S. military bases in South Korea, women are often forced to do far more than serve juice. The U.S. military warns its soldiers that the staff, often trafficked from the Philippines, are modern-day slaves. But the bars are still in business.