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17 October 2023

Associated Press | Biden will head to Israel and Jordan as concerns mount that Israel-Hamas conflict will spread

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Biden’s travel to Israel as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip grows more dire and as Israel prepares for a possible ground attack on the 141-square-mile (365-square-kilometer) territory to root out Hamas militants responsible for what U.S. and Israeli officials say was the most lethal assault against Jews since the Holocaust.

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Wall Street Journal | U.S. picks troops to prepare for potential deployment to Middle East

The U.S. military has selected roughly 2,000 troops to prepare for a potential deployment to support Israel, U.S. defense officials said. The troops are tasked with missions like advising and medical support, the officials said, and they are from across the U.S. armed services. They aren't intended to serve in a combat role, the officials said. No infantry have been put on prepare-to-deploy order.

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Military Times | Pentagon leader selected as new Veterans Affairs chief of staff

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough on Tuesday announced a key Pentagon official to serve as his chief of staff, filling another open leadership post at the department.

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Washington Post | North Korea provided Russia with weapons, White House says

U.S. intelligence images show what it claims are up to 1,000 containers of North Korean ammunition and other war materiel sent to aid Moscow’s war in Ukraine

New York Sun | As Congress weighs whether it can fund wars in Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Middle East, the ‘realist school’ of foreign policy may have its moment

Verbal support of Ukraine does not have to result in monetary action, one analyst, Julie Thompson-Gomez of the John Quincy Adams Society, a network of foreign policy professionals and students, argues. “America’s heart is with Ukraine, but more of her money doesn’t necessarily have to be,” she says.

Newstalk KGVO | Veterans advocacy group slams VA for lack of accountability

“We have the Veterans Rights Unleashed Tour going on right now,” began Enget. “One issue that we're facing as veterans here in Montana very specifically, is that the Mission Act was put into place in 2018 and 2019 that allows veterans to get care in the community, and that allows them to get that health care in a timely fashion without long wait times, without long drive times and just be able to get it right there in their community. Unfortunately, the VA is not following that.”

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The Overwatch | #VAFail: Florida Army veteran shares struggles with mental health care at the VA

Brian knew he would not get the treatment he needed at the VA, but his choices to use his benefits outside of the VA system were very limited.

Military Times | National Buddy Week to stem veteran suicides starts today

The effort, which runs from Oct. 16 to Oct. 20, has been observed unofficially by veteran groups in recent years and was mandated by Congress in legislation adopted in late 2022. The stated goal is to “to build peer-to-peer connections, improve mental health, and increase access to VA resources.”

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The Virginian-Pilot | ‘I’ve had a good run,’ says Hampton World War II vet as he celebrates 100th birthday

Robert “Bob” White has celebrated a lot of birthdays, but says the milestone he marked last weekend was the best one yet.

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Stars and Stripes | World War II medic honored at his Arlington gravesite with Bronze Star for his heroics on D-Day

A World War II combat medic posthumously received the Bronze Star and the Combat Medic Badge at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday as lawmakers and advocates continue to fight for him to receive the military’s highest honor for his actions during the D-Day invasion.

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