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MEMBERS of Congress and other political leaders often say that the men and women who have served in our military since 9/11 are the “new greatest generation.” Well, here’s a thought from two infantry combat veterans of the Vietnam era’s “wounded generation”: if you truly believe that our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are like those who fought in World War II, let us provide them with the same G.I. Bill that was given to the veterans of that war. In terms of providing true opportunity, the World War II G.I. Bill was one of the most important pieces of legislation...

The National Rifle Association conference yesterday in Washington, D.C. drew lots of media attention because of the high powered presidential candidates invited to speak. McCain got in a line on a protester, Thompson got in a line on Bill Clinton, and Rudy tried to make peace with his previous anti gun positions; stories for which Drudge has linked to on his site. But to my complete shock, the best speaker of the evening was not Fred, nor Newt nor Mike Huckabee all of which I enjoyed immensely. But the best speaker of the day was not a politician, lobbyist, nor...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2007 – Deployment to a war zone can exact a unique toll on not only those in imminent danger but also their loved ones back home. One group, however, is working to lessen these effects. “We build a safe space, a community for veterans and their families to come together and share their stories, struggles and accomplishments,” said Dr. Joseph Bobrow, director of the “Coming Home Project.” “Our programs address the mental, emotional, spiritual and relationship challenges faced by veterans and families before, during and after deployment.” The San Francisco organization, which is devoted to providing...

WEEK 4: Sign up Today to Show up on September 17/18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In September, General Petraeus will report to Congress on the status of the mission in Iraq. At that time, members of Congress will decide whether to continue the mission and defeat Al Qaeda, or abandon the mission and surrender to America’s enemies. The stakes could not be higher. It is absolutely crucial that veterans have a voice in September's debate. And therefore we're asking every Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who believes in the mission - and supports our fellow soldiers and Marines still serving - to converge on...

The Taliban took Jody Mitic's legs. Then strangers gave him a custom motorbike. Now condo management is taking his parking spaceBy JOE WARMINGTON First a foreign enemy took away his legs and now back home someone is trying to take away his wheels. This is a story about how some people know how to treat our war heroes and how some don't. Master Cpl. Jody Mitic had his legs blown off in Afghanistan fighting people who are unbending in their ridiculous rules. And now Mitic is facing the same kind of austere stupidity here. Flashback to January, just a week...

I'm not Affiaiated with the group, but thought it would be a good idea to make people aware. This is a call to action. We are asking every Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who believes in supporting the mission--and defeating America's enemies--to converge on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Tuesday, July 17. It's time the fighters in this war tell their representatives--face to face-that now is no time to betray the mission. What You Can Do This Week! Week #2: Converge on Capitol Hill, July 17 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have already sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears on foreign battlefields....

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2007 – All Illinois National Guard troops returning from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan now will be screened for traumatic brain injury and get access to post-traumatic stress disorder help under a new, first-of-its-kind state program. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Tammy Duckworth, director of the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs, announced the program earlier this week in Chicago. The program includes mandatory traumatic brain injury screening for all returning National Guard combat veterans, voluntary screening for all other Illinois veterans, and a 24-hour toll-free psychological help line for veterans suffering from PTSD. Blagojevich called the new...

MARIETTA, Ga. - Mike McNaughton, a soldier who lost his right leg in a mine explosion in Afghanistan, was still in the early stages of recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center when he received a visit from President Bush. ''I told him one day I'll outrun him,'' McNaughton said. ''He said, 'When you feel better, let me know.'" McNaughton took the president at his word, and 14 months later the two ran a mile together on property surrounding the White House, even though McNaughton was still adjusting to running with his new prosthesis. He recalled that run Friday, noting...

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2006 – President Bush met today in Aurora, Colo., with a group of servicemembers who recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, thanking them for their service and expressing America's support for all troops. "This country supports you and admires you and appreciates your dedication," Bush told the troops. "You're doing some hard work. It's hard work to defeat terrorists -- killers that wanted to achieve their objective. But we'll succeed; we'll prevail." Bush had lunch with the troops before speaking at a reception in Englewood, Colo., and traveling on to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. The...

Sergeant Paul “Scruff” Mcgough, who has died aged 41, was a member of the Special Boat Service unit which took part in the siege of Qala-i-Janghi, Afghanistan, one of the most highly decorated missions in the recent history of the British special forces.In November 2001 McGough was with C Company, SBS, when it flew unannounced into the former Soviet airbase at Bagram.A key strategic objective in north-east Afghanistan, it was disputed by thousands of Afghan government fighters, and the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, led by the Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum.Though vastly outnumbered, the SBS held the huge airbase for a...

“You’re killing us,” a Hilton Deputy CEO told a JINSA supporter who managed to break through the telephone blockade. Would that it was true. You - our readers plus thousands of others infuriated by the Hilton’s tossing of Fran O’Brien’s Stadium Steakhouse Restaurant in Washington, home of dinners for wounded Iraq and Afghanistan vets - made Hilton’s life extremely unpleasant for a while. They turned off e-mails and fielded phone calls from former Hilton Honors cardholders. They got negative - and soldiers got positive - media coverage from The Washington Post, The Washington Times, NBC Nightly News, National Review Online...

VETERANS O'Brien's Creates Charity The owners of Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse in Northwest Washington have created a charity to help fund the Friday night steak dinners they hold for wounded soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Organizers and veterans are trying to find a place to keep the dinners going while the restaurant's owners look for a place to reopen. Donations can be sent to: Aleethia Foundation Inc. C/O Fran O'Brien's Steakhouse 1001 16th St. NW Washington, D.C. 20036.

The steaks are great, of course. But it isn't the T-bones, the porterhouses or the rib-eyes that will be sorely, even painfully, missed when Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse loses its lease and closes its doors this month. The downtown D.C. restaurant, which has hosted a decade's worth of power lunches, political dinners and salacious hookups, is more poignantly known for its Friday night steak dinners for severely wounded soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "It looks like they're kicking us out," sighed Marty O'Brien, son of the late Redskins offensive lineman Fran O'Brien, before closing the restaurant yesterday...

Earlier this year there was a town hall meeting on the Iraq war, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), with the participation of such antiwar organizations as CodePink and MoveOn.org. The event also featured Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a former Marine who had become an outspoken critic of the war. To this Iraq war veteran, it was a good example of something that's become all too common: People from politics, the media and elsewhere purporting to represent "our" views. With all due respect, most often they don't. The tenor of the town meeting was mostly what one might expect, but...

4/7/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Airmen now have increased eligibility for veterans’ preference when released or discharged from active duty, Office of Personnel Management officials here wrote in a recently released memo. More servicemembers are now eligible for veterans’ preference when applying for government civilian jobs. Pres. George W. Bush signed into law the Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2006, which contained two provisions that broadened the definition of a “veteran” and clarified eligibility for those released or discharged from active duty, said the statement. The first provision gives preference to those who have served on active duty for a...

Hire A Hero By Oliver North March 31, 2006 America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines are in near-constant combat against brutal, committed adversaries. Yet, in nine trips to Iraq and Afghanistan covering U.S. military operations for FOX News since 2001, I've never seen our troops bested in battle. But it turns out that not all the fights are on foreign soil, and sometimes the outcome depends on unusual allies. Last month, on March 6, the Supreme Court handed our Armed Forces a major victory when it ruled in Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights that colleges accepting...

Rumsfeld Pays Surprise Visit as Wounded Troops Hit the Slopes By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 5, 2006 – Wounded troops participating in the third annual Vail Veterans Program here got a surprise visit on the ski slopes today when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived to cheer them on and congratulate them for their accomplishments. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld poses with wounded troops participating in the Vail Veterans Program just before they begin their third and final day of skiing in the program at Vail, Colo. Photo by Donna Miles   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2006 – Don Esmond, a Vietnam War hero, walked into the Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance, Calif., one day in early 2004 and told the staff he wanted the company to develop a hiring program for guardsmen and reservists returning to civilian life from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. David Sweat, left, the parts department manager at Priority Toyota in Chesapeake, Va., said Army National Guard Sgt. Ricardo "Ricky" Velez came to the company about two months after leaving active duty. Velez previously served in Iraq for 14 months. Photo courtesy of James Wallace  (Click photo...

Andrew Duck, an Iraq war veteran and Democratic candidate for Congress, listens to teachers in Middletown, Md. (photo by Timothy Jacobsen) Iraq War Veterans Storm Onto the Campaign Trail BY J. SCOTT ORR   MIDDLETOWN, Md. -- The war veteran, sleeves rolled up, talks politics with a group of small-town educators dining on roast pork and twice-baked potatoes. The vet, Andrew Duck, is explaining how his wartime experience in Iraq and around the globe makes him just the man to represent this rural Appalachian district in Congress. The teachers offer questions and encouragement. He hands out little rubber duckies...