May 15, 2008
Filed under: Education, GI Bill, IAVA in DC, In the News, Legislation, Washington — Paul Rieckhoff @ 3:31 pm
As President Roosevelt said when he signed the original GI Bill for veterans of World War II,
”[The GI Bill] gives emphatic notice to the men and women in our armed forces that the American people do not intend to let them down.”
The House of Representatives renewed that promise. This is a tremendous and bipartisan commitment to our troops. We’ve seen enough bumper sticker and lapel pin patriotism; today, we saw the real thing.
The House vote is a crucial first step, but there is more to be done to get this bill made law. The GI Bill, which passed as a part of the war supplemental funding, still has to be approved by the Senate and be signed by the President. A second step was also taken today, as the Senate Appropriations Committee moved their matching GI Bill proposal out of committee.
I’d like to take a minute to talk about the people who deserve credit for moving the GI Bill this far:
- First and foremost, the bipartisan coalition of combat veterans who introduced the new GI Bill:
Senators Webb, Hagel, Warner, and Lautenberg who put partisanship aside in favor of a fair benefit for the troops who served after them.
- The veterans’ organizations (led by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Military Officers Association, and IAVA) who stood united on this issue, kept up the pressure, and refused to accept compromised or watered-down benefits.
- The many other supporters of a new GI Bill — including at least 22 governors, an array of higher education groups, and of course, thousands of regular Americans who pressured their representatives to make this bill a top priority.
What’s next? The Senate floor vote that may happen as early as Monday of next week. At this point, I am convinced the GI Bill has become an unstoppable force - but I’ve been disappointed by Washington before. With your help, we can ensure that the GI Bill becomes law. You can follow the new GI Bill every step of the way here.
]]>By PRESS DEMOCRAT STAFF
Kiernan lost his left foot and right leg below the knee in a bomb blast in Falluja on May 4 after being in Iraq less than a month. His previous assignment was at Camp David, President Bush’s retreat.
The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded in war. Awarding the medal will be Marine Commandant James T. Conway, who will present the medal in his fifth floor hospital room.
Kiernan, an honor student, enrolled in the Marines in 2005 when he was 17, after fulfiling his Petaluma High School requirements early. He finished boot camp in time to come home and participate in the school’s graduation.
He had hoped to wear his dress uniform for the ceremony, but school policy mandated a cap and gown. The issue drew national attention, with Kiernan agreeing to wear cap and gown over his uniform; removing the gown after receiving his diploma and leaving the outdoor stage.
]]>The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 15, 2008 12:24:34 EDT
The Bloomer School Board has denied Daniel Ligen’s request to wear his Marine uniform. Ligen finished his class work early in order to enlist and will be done with basic training at the San Diego Marine base by graduation May 31.
The board adopted a policy Monday night that requires a cap and gown be worn for graduation. There was a motion to allow an exception for military personnel, but it wasn’t seconded.
One board member says the denial is not an attempt to be unpatriotic, but the cap and gown celebrates education.
By JASON STRAZIUSO – 1 day ago
The change in plans shows that despite a record number of international troops in the country, forces are still spread thin and U.S. commanders must make tough choices about where to deploy them.
Manpower problems are acute in Helmand, the largest and probably the most dangerous province in Afghanistan, where the U.S. 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived late last month to open a route to move troops to its southern reaches near the border with Pakistan.
Britain has about 7,500 soldiers in the province, but does not have enough troops to move south of Garmser, a district still largely held by the Taliban and bursting with opium poppy fields.
The 2,400-strong Marine unit met stiff resistance as they moved in. Between 100 and 400 Taliban fighters moved into the Garmser area as the poppy harvest got under way, apparently to defend their interests in the lucrative drug trade.
Maj. Tom Clinton Jr. said the Marines would be in Garmser for several more weeks. It means the Marines might not take part in an operation that was planned in another southern province this month.
"The number of fighters that stood and fought is kind of surprising to me, but obviously they're fighting for something," Clinton said, alluding to poppies. "They're flowing in, guys are going south and picking up arms. We have an opportunity to really clear them out, cripple them, so I think we're exploiting the success we're finding."
Helmand is the hub of opium production in Afghanistan, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the global supply of this raw material of heroin. The Taliban are believed to derive tens of millions of dollars from the trade.
Still, the Marines have been careful not to alienate residents by destroying the poppy fields that poor farmers rely on for income. Commanders say their goal is to rid the region of Taliban fighters so the Afghan government can move in and tackle the drug problem.
The prospects of that happening appear remote. Although thousands of acres of poppy fields are eradicated annually in Afghanistan, it is only a small fraction of the total area sown. Year after year, production has soared and security has deteriorated.
In recognition of the growing threat posed by Taliban militants, there are now almost 70,000 international soldiers in Afghanistan. The U.S. has 33,000, the most since the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001 ousted the Taliban for giving haven to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
U.S. forces have mostly operated in the east of the country, rather than the south, where NATO has struggled to find nations willing to fight the increasingly bloody insurgency.
U.S. Gen. Dan McNeill, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, has said he needs three more brigades — two for combat and one to train Afghan soldiers, roughly 7,500 to 10,000 additional soldiers.
When the Marines eventually leave Garmser, any gains the 24th has made could be quickly erased unless other forces from NATO or the Afghan government move in.
"We can't be a permanent 24/7 presence. We don't have enough men to stay here," said Staff Sgt. Darrell Penyak, 29, of Grove City, Ohio. "We would need the ANA (Afghan army) to move in, and right now the way we're fighting, there's no way the ANA can come in. They couldn't handle it."
Afghanistan's army and police forces are steadily growing, but are still not big — or skilled — enough to protect much of the country. Spokesmen for both forces said they were not aware of plans to send forces to Garmser.
Col. Nick Borton, commander of British forces in the southern part of Helmand, recently visited U.S. positions in Garmser, where he told the Americans he'd be happy if they stayed on.
"If they're here for only a short time, we can't build very much off that," he said. "Their presence for a few days doesn't really help us."
A representative of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. government aid arm, told Marine battalion commander Lt. Col. Anthony Henderson that "people lose faith if you pull out."
The next day, at a meeting of Marines and Afghan elders, the bearded, turban-wearing men told Marine Capt. Charles O'Neill that the two sides could "join together" to fight the Taliban. "When you protect us, we will be able to protect you," the leader of the elders said.
Despite uncertainties over how secure Garmser, O'Neill liked what he heard.
"We have something here we can really exploit, if we can get some Afghan national police here," he said. "The Marines can definitely do the job, but we're not a permanent presence. With their own people providing their own security they can really get something done."
AP - Tuesday, May 13
The vessels, which have helicopters on board, were currently in the Bay of Bengal, said Vice Admiral Doug Crowder.
"We have three of our amphibious ships that are part of the 7th fleet that are headed that way right now," Crowder told reporters in Jakarta. He said the ships "could provide quite a bit of relief if we are allowed to do so by the current government."
The May. 3 cyclone killed or left missing more than 60,000 people with up to 2 million others facing disease and starvation, but Myanmar's isolationist leaders are not fully cooperating with international relief agencies and governments that want to provide aid.
Helicopters from U.S. ships moored off the coast of Aceh following the 2004 Asian tsunami delivered tons of water and other assistance to isolated communities. The swift response there was credited with helping saving tens of thousands of lives.
Crowder, who commanded the tsunami relief effort, came to the Indonesian capital on board the USS Blue Ridge, the amphibious command ship of the U.S. 7th Fleet. The ship was on a port visit to the city.
]]>By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
Tue May 13, 3:18 AM ET
The Defense Department is lobbying against legislation proposed by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., that would guarantee a full-ride scholarship for service members to any in-state public university. According to defense officials, the plan would hurt its ability to retain service members because the new GI education bill would require only three years before the full benefit kicks in. The Defense Department wants the commitment to be extended to at least six years.
"We have no issue with the fact that Sen. Webb wishes to provide a more generous education benefit to troops," said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell. "But we are certainly concerned that this would be eligible to them" so soon.
The Pentagon's opposition to Webb's bill underscores the difficulty the military has had in recruiting and retaining an all-volunteer force at a time when it is engaged in a war that is deeply unpopular with the American public.
Adding to the military's dilemma is the larger number of soldiers and Marines needed to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last year, the Pentagon recommended that the Army be increased by about 65,000 soldiers to a total of 547,000, and the Marines be increased by 27,000 to 202,000.
The difficulty in finding young people also can be attributed in part to low unemployment numbers in recent years. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, unemployment dropped from 6 percent in 2003 to 4.6 percent in 2007.
In recent months, the military has had to take creative steps to reach its desired troop numbers. A year ago, when Army recruiters didn't meet their goal, the service announced new $20,000 bonuses for recruits and up to $40,000 if an enlistee signed up for at least four years.
The Army also has granted special exceptions to recruits with prior criminal records, medical problems or low-aptitude scores that would have otherwise disqualified them from service. Senior military officials defended the change in policy as justified because they say current restrictions were so stringent that many members in Congress would have been denied entrance to the ranks because of indiscretions from their youth.
Retention rates have been less troublesome in the military, with the Army and Marine Corps exceeding their goals by large margins in 2006 and staying strong in 2007. Studies have found that combat deployments can prompt service members to re-enlist, usually because of a sense of accomplishment.
Still, the Defense Department is worried that its retention numbers could fall as service members are asked to return repeatedly to Iraq and Afghanistan and they are given too much of an incentive to leave. One particular problem facing the military is its ability to hang on to seasoned combat veterans, including those in the elite forces, who are being lured to higher-paying jobs in the private sector.
Webb, a Vietnam veteran and critic of the Iraq war, counters that his legislation would be more effective in attracting new recruits and would offset any drop in the military's ranks.
"I can't think of a better way to broaden (the) propensity to serve than to offer a truly meaningful educational benefit, rather than simply taking that smaller demographic" of those already enlisted "and pound on it" with repeated combat tours, he said.
]]>Staff report
Posted : Monday May 12, 2008 8:09:32 EDT
More than 400 sailors and Marines disembarked the Essex, arriving ashore in utility boats at the port city of Sattahip, according to a Marine statement. The group included ground combat, aviation and logistics support elements with 31st MEU.
The exercise has been hosted by Thailand for 27 years, according to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Indonesia will also participate.
“Multi-national responses to regional crises are likely to be the norm in the future,” James F. Entwistle, deputy chief of mission at the embassy, said in the statement.
“There is no better exercise than Cobra Gold in keeping our militaries ready to respond to the real-world priorities of supporting peace, stability, reconstruction, and humanitarian assistance.”
Pfc. Zachary J. Nola
Combat Correspondent
Weaver, a 20-year-old St. Charles, Miss., native, was a member of Bravo Company, 3rd LAR, and was killed while conducting combat operations in Iraq’s Al Anbar province.
The service began with an invocation by Lt. j.g. Nathan Drake, 3rd LAR chaplain and the playing of the national anthem.
Members of 3rd LAR remembered Weaver as a living testament of the Corps’ values and for his ability to make others smile.
“He absolutely upheld the Corps values of honor, courage, and commitment,” said Drake. “He regained all that for me.”
Marines recalled that Weaver’s professionalism made him stand out amongst other Marines.
“Drew was special to me,” said 1st Lt. Christopher J. Motz, “Drew was special as a Marine. Drew was special as a warrior.”
While recalling the events of that day, Weaver’s brothers-in-arms remembered his commitment to his fellow Marines.
After confronting a group of insurgents Weaver continuously exposed himself to enemy fire in order to shout commands to the Marines he was leading and engage the enemy.
When he caught sight of fellow Marines walking into an ambush, Weaver disregarded his own safety and immediately warned the Marines of the pending threat.
Weaver’s warning drew the enemy’s attention to himself and made it possible for the other Marines to assault the enemy’s position.
Though it cost him his life, Weaver’s courageous and selfless action prevented the looming ambush.
“He was being selfless, he was being a Marine,” said Lt. Col. James R. Parrington, 3rd LAR battalion commander.
In addition to his selflessness and courage, fellow Marines also remember his smile.
“I have no doubt he saved many lives that day,” said Lance Cpl. Jeremy W. Shurtleff, scout, Bravo Company, 3rd LAR. “He was our guardian angel.”
Even as tears were shed, smiles and laughter emerged as friends remembered Weaver’s lighter side.
“He was friendly. He’d greet you with a smile.” said Samuel L. Smalley, grenadier, Bravo Company, 3rd LAR, “If you were having a bad day he’d make it a good day, and if you were having a good day he’d make it a great day.”
Lance Cpl. Weaver’s ability to brighten the lives of those around him seemed to be apparent to all those who knew him.
“He was the type of person who could walk in to a room and brighten it,” said Shurtleff.
After the service ended, the Wolf Pack quietly filed out of the theater. The stage lights remained fixed on the memorial stand in the center of the stage. Only the rifle, boots, and Kevlar adorned with dog tags remained; A symbol of Weaver’s sacrifice.
He gave his life not just for the Marines there with him that day but for the people all over the world who never had the privilege of meeting him.
“If you knew Lance Cpl. Drew Weaver, count yourself among the blessed,” said Motz.
The 250m-long amphibious assault ship sailed proudly up the Derwent about 8am yesterday as the city turned on a perfect autumn morning.
]]> http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23674800-5007221,00.htmlMICHAEL STEDMAN
May 11, 2008 09:00am
The crew lined the decks with cameras pointed at city landmarks including Mt Wellington and the expansive harbour.
Sergeant Jacob Asbach, one of 3000 sailors and marines on board, had signed up for a mountain bike tour to get a closer look at Tasmania's famous scenery.
"After being stuck down below for a couple of days it will be nice to see the town that way," Sgt Asbach said.
But he seemed unsure of the local wildlife.
"If you go into the woods, are you likely to see a Tasmanian devil? Will they bite you?"
The ship will be in Hobart until Tuesday, the visit expected to inject at least $6million into the local economy.
Premier Paul Lennon officially welcomed the ship and hoped it signalled a resumption of regular naval visits.
"On behalf of the people of Tasmania I would like to extend a warm welcome to the crew of the USS Tarawa," he said.
"Our island state has much to offer, from cosmopolitan cafes to historic villages, mountain peaks to white sandy beaches and all in close proximity."
"The last US warship to visit the state was the aircraft carrier John C Stennis in 2002.
Commanding officer Amphibious Squadron One captain John Miley said the crew was thrilled to be in Tasmania.
"There is definitely a genuine interest. You can see that on the flight deck. There is a buzz -- they are excited about being here," Capt Miley said.
As the massive ship sidled up to Macquarie Wharf with an entourage of pleasure craft, the belly of the beast was a hive of activity.
Sailors and marines had a quick shave and replaced their uniforms with civilian clothes, ready to hit the town.
Once in the city their presence was easy to spot -- rugged up against the cold in hoodies and baggy jeans, some made a bee-line for the local pub while others used the pay phone to call home.
The ship's private television station reminded sailors to maintain their decorum on land.
It also provided information on the local nightlife including advice to "dress for success" at The Observatory and avoid a long list of clubs because of "known criminal activity".
Marine Corps commander Colonel John Bullard said a stay in Perth earlier this month had taken the edge off a long tour of duty.
"We are on our way home and no one wants to screw that up -- we are optimistic they will all be well behaved," Col. Bullard said.
The Tarawa has been on an extended seven-month deployment that included providing humanitarian relief to Bangladesh after Cyclone Sadir.
The ship has also been stationed in the Persian Gulf on non-operational support duties and recently conducted training and provided medical assistance in Djibouti, Africa.
After its Hobart visit the ship is believed to be returning to its home port of San Diego, California on possibly its last ever voyage. The ship was launched during the Vietnam War in 1973 and has since been superseded by Wasp-class amphibious assault ships.
]]>5/10/2008 By Cpl. Robert Beaver, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
During past amphibious assaults, some Americans have lost their lives by drowning in the surf. To give Marines a basic understanding of how to survive the watery forces of nature, they must qualify in Combat Water Survival training during boot camp. Company D recruits earned their qualifications in the first phase of boot camp March 10.
Combat Water Survival training is designed to reduce the fear of water, instill self-confidence and develop the ability to survive in aquatic environments, said Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Glocke, chief swim instructor and company gunnery sergeant for Instructional Training Company.
“We are a military branch capable of fighting on all fronts,” said Sgt. Kendall Wright, drill instructor, Platoon 1063, Company D. “This training is important because if we do not have water survival skills, we will not be as successful (when attacking from the sea).”
Recruits are required to perform several tasks in the water. They swim specific distances, tread water and rescue teammates.
“During this training they learn basic water survival skills,” said Glocke. “The training is not that hard. It helps recruits feel more confident in the water, which is one of the most important things because it teaches recruits to relax, breathe and survive.”
Recruits begin the course with CWS-4 qualification, the minimum qualification requirement for enlisted Marines, which focuses on personal survival without combat gear.
At this level, recruits swim 25-meters in shallow water using the beginner or survival stroke. They are also required to enter the pool from a 15-foot tower simulating the abandon ship technique. After returning to the surface they swim to an area where they tread water for four minutes. Recruits then swim another 25 meters to obtain the minimum requirement for graduation.
After recruits complete the requirements for CWS-4, they move on to the more difficult third and second classes— which involve full combat gear.
“I’ve always been a good swimmer because I grew up near the beach,” said Recruit James Clancy, Platoon 1063. “My preconceived notions were the most challenging. I didn’t think it was possible to swim with all the gear and I worried that the gear would drag me under the water.”
The third class qualification begins with recruits entering the water using the abandon ship technique and swimming 25 meters. Recruits then don full combat gear, enter shallow water and swim 40 meters to the other side of the pool.
Recruits again enter the pool using the abandon ship technique, only this time from an 8-foot tower while wearing full combat gear. One final 25-meter swim completes the third class qualification.
The second class water survival qualification is the last level recruits can obtain in boot camp. The qualification focuses on assisting an exhausted or wounded Marine to safety while wearing full combat gear.
After swimming 50 meters, recruits drag other recruits, simulating wounded Marines, 25 meters to earn the second class qualification.
“As Marines, we will be put in situations where this training will save our lives,” said Wright.
By LT James Trudeau, USS Germantown Public Affairs
Posted: May 9, 2008
Germantown’s crew was there to promote interaction between the US Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN), as well as to provide an opportunity for much deserved rest and relaxation and a chance to experience the unique Thai culture.
Germantown Sailors and Marines were able to interact with Thai citizens while conducting the ship’s community relations program which sends Sailors out into the communities to foster close relationships with their residents.
In Laem Chabang and Pattaya, Sailors and Marines painted the Wat Thung Ka primary school and delivered toys from Project Handclasp to the children there. They were able to give skateboards, scooters, basketballs, and assorted crayons.
At the Karunwet Homage for the Disabled the crew distributed personal hygiene products and Friendship Bags provided by Project Handclasp to 370 residents ranging in age from 18 to 92.
“This was a great opportunity for Sailors and Marines to interact with the local community. Our small donation of material and time had a huge return in their opinion of the United States Military,” said community relations coordinator Lt. Kardosh.
Germantown’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Keith Moore was present during the community relations events. “This was a positive experience, kids loved the Sailors and Marines and appreciated the toys. Our visit really made their day.”
Cmdr. Moore also paid a call to Vice Adm. Srivisuth Ratarun, commandant of the RTN base at Sattahip, with Capt. Walter Watson the embassy Defense Attaché, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Schultz, Commanding Officer of USS Patriot and representatives from the local Navy League promoting relations between the two navies.
When asked by VADM Ratarun on how his crew was enjoying Pattaya Cmdr. Moore had this to say, “We are having a blast!”
]]>The 250m amphibious assault ship will bring 3000 sailors and marines to Hobart tomorrow morning.
ANGUS HOHENBOKEN
May 09, 2008 12:00am
The 250m amphibious assault ship will bring 3000 sailors and marines to Hobart tomorrow morning.
The Consulate General of the United States in Perth said yesterday visits by US Navy Expeditionary Strike Groups brought $2 million a day to local economies.
The duration of the ship's stay has not yet been confirmed, but crew members and volunteers will be here until at least Monday to attend an appointment at the Royal Hobart Hospital where they will visit patients during International Nurses Day.
Tarawa Commanding Officer Captain Brian Luther said those on board were looking forward to stretching their legs in Hobart.
"Hobart is an exotic city that Tarawa sailors and marines have been looking forward to coming to for months," Capt Luther said.
The 2002 visit of the USS John C Stennis brought about 5500 personnel to the state and generated an estimated $4.1 million in personal spending, with the average spend per day estimated to be $137 per crew member.
Additional shops are expected to open on Sunday.
Australian Retailers Association Tasmania executive director Duncan McDougall urged retailers to take advantage of the Americans' business.
"The opportunity is there," Mr McDougall said.
"I would certainly encourage retailers to take it."
Capt Luther said sailors and marines would remember the Battle of Coral Sea while in Hobart.
The commemoration celebrates the combined American and Australian naval and air engagement that effectively halted the Japanese southern advance towards Australia.
Events will include a wreath-laying ceremony at Hobart War Memorial, the Coral Sea Handicap at Tattersals Park and guided tours of the Tarawa.
Tarawa has arrived directly from the US 5th Fleet area of operations as part of the USS Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG).
While on deployment, Tarawa ESG has provided disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Sidr, operated in the Persian Gulf and given support to Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press Writer
Fri May 9, 2:57 PM ET
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the United States welcomed the go-ahead to land a U.S. military C-130 in the country on Monday. He said he hopes this is the beginning of continued aid flowing into Myanmar from the United States, other nations and international relief agencies.
Earlier Friday, Ky Luu, director of the U.S. office of foreign disaster assistance, had said that skilled aid workers were being forced to sit on the sidelines as victims of last week's cyclone were dying. His comments reflect mounting frustration among the United States and other countries as they wait for permission from the military-led government to begin trying to help.
Said Johndroe: "We will continue to work with the government of Burma to allow other assistance. We hope that this is the beginning of a long line of assistance from the United States to Burma." Myanmar is also known as Burma.
Johndroe also said that while the U.S. still has limited leeway to help, "One flight is much better than no flights."
"They're going to need our help for a long time," Johndroe said. He spoke in Crawford, Texas, where President Bush's daughter, Jenna, will be wed on Saturday.
The breakthrough came after days of waiting on the U.S. side. It is not yet known what supplies will be included. U.S. aircraft have been positioned in Thailand and elsewhere nearby waiting for permission to transport supplies to the cyclone-devastated country.
The U.S. military has C-130 cargo aircraft and about a dozen helicopters in the region, ready to fly supplies into Myanmar. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Friday that the aircraft could reach Myanmar in a few hours.
In addition, U.S. Navy ships have begun moving from the Gulf of Thailand toward Myanmar to be available if needed.
Johndroe said he could not speak to one specific cause for the breakthrough, but added: "Clearly the junta has determined that the magnitude of this disaster requires additional assistance."
Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. The current junta came to power after snuffing out a 1988 pro-democracy movement against the previous military dictatorship, killing at least 3,000 people in the process. The junta also violently crushed protests last year.
Luu had urged the generals to allow access to foreign aid teams, including a group of U.S. specialists waiting in Thailand; he said desperately needed supplies are piling up on airport tarmacs.
"This is a very vulnerable population, and a shock of this magnitude is going to take people right off the cliff," Luu told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a foreign affairs think tank in Washington.
He said the message to the junta is clear: If it allows U.S. officials in, "we will be able to make a difference."
"People are dying, and it's approaching a week," he said.
Myanmar's ruling military junta earlier seized two planeloads of critical aid sent by the U.N. The U.N. food program suspended help after the action, but later said it is sending two planes to Myanmar to help hungry and homeless survivors.
Officials have said that up to 1.9 million people are homeless, injured or threatened by disease and hunger, and only one out of 10 have received some kind of aid in the six days since the cyclone hit.
Tony Banbury, Asia director for the U.N. World Food Program, said by satellite from Thailand that the "big issue" is: What are the Myanmar authorities going to do? The WFP, he said, will keep working, but "I don't think we have much leverage with the authorities."
"Our hands are getting more and more tied," he said. "The situation is obviously desperate."
Sein Win, an exiled leader of Myanmar's opposition, said in an interview that the United States and other nations must more strongly pressure China, which is seen as having significant economic and political influence with Myanmar's generals.
"The world is not telling China to do what they should do ... to save people," Win said. He added that China has leverage over Myanmar, and said "the question is whether they are going to use it or not."
]]>By ANDREW TAYLOR – 5/9/2008
With only two full weeks remaining before the Memorial Day recess, the measure has yet to pass either the House or the Senate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pulled the bill from the schedule Wednesday night after conservative-to-moderate "Blue Dog" Democrats revolted over Democratic leaders' insistence on including in the war funding bill an unrelated provision to sharply increase education benefits for veterans under the GI Bill.
The new GI Bill — designed to give Iraq war veterans enough help to finance a four-year stint at a public college — would cost $51 billion over 10 years. It runs afoul of a rule designed to prevent new benefit programs from causing the deficit to spiral.
The Democratic rebels are the House's top supporters of "pay as you go" budget rules that require that new benefit programs be financed with offsetting spending cuts or new taxes so as not to cause the budget deficit to increase. The war funding bill is an emergency appropriation, but the veterans education funding is a new mandatory benefit program that's supposed to be subject to the budget rule.
"It's the principle involved of not putting a mandatory program of any kind on an emergency supplemental," said Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn.
Meanwhile, White House budget director Jim Nussle weighed in Thursday with renewed veto threats against rival House and Senate Iraq funding bills, saying the add-ons for veterans and an extension of unemployment benefits were unacceptable.
"To just pile them into the troop funding bill because the troop funding bill is necessary is a cynical process that the president has already been very clear about — the fact that he would veto," Nussle told The Associated Press.
Pelosi told reporters she is confident the impasse with the rebel Democrats can be ironed out, but the delay threatens her goal of getting the war funding bill completed by Memorial Day.
The process for trying to pass the war funding bill involves complicated parliamentary maneuvering that is designed to allow anti-war Democrats to vote against the war funding but still ensure that it makes it through Congress and onto Bush's desk. On the other hand, it makes it more difficult to negotiate a final bill because there's no House-Senate conference committee.
Also Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee postponed for a week a vote on its version of the war funding bill, which exceeds Bush's demands by $9 billion. Now, it appears the Senate won't complete floor debate on the measure until just before it recesses for the sacrosanct Memorial Day vacation, leaving no time for a final bill to be passed before the break.
The Pentagon says the delays would force the Pentagon on June 9 to warn civilian Pentagon employees of possible furloughs.
The House bill carries $183.7 billion in spending for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a handful of domestic items such as military base construction funds. That includes $66 billion in 2009 funds requested by Bush, so it does not break through his overall cap.
But the addition of the GI Bill and a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits for people whose benefits have run out would still prompt a veto, Nussle said.
"Judging from what the president has said and where the Congress appears to be heading toward right now, the answer is still the same — that the president would veto," Nussle told The Associated Press.
POSTED: 4:08 am PDT May 9, 2008
UPDATED: 5:48 am PDT May 9, 2008
About 720 Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton currently suffer from traumatic brain injury, or TBI, military officials told The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The facility opening soon on Camp Pendleton will be part of the Navy Medicine West Office of Neurotrauma. It is the latest in a string of facilities opening nationwide to address the growing number of troops returning from the Middle East with TBI, the newspaper reported.
In San Diego, Navy and Veterans Affairs officials have partnered with the University of California San Diego to improve diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries, which are caused by a sudden and violent force to the brain.
University researcher Mingxiong Huang told the Union-Tribune that about 70 percent of TBIs go undetected by traditional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRIs.
Last month, military officials signed an agreement to send designated service members to UCSD Medical Center for brain testing with high-tech imaging methods.
"We need to find these people and treat them aggressively," Navy Capt. Forrest Faison, commanding officer of the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital, told the Union-Tribune.
The full societal cost of a mild case of brain trauma can reach $32,000 per year, including treatment expenses, the patient's lost productivity and the value of caregiving by family members, according to a study released last month by the Rand Corp.
The annual figure for a moderate-to-severe case ranges from $268,000 to $408,000, according to the study, which also estimates 320,000 service members nationwide have suffered TBIs.
]]>