Pentagon rules are catching up a bit with reality after a decade when women in the U.S. military have served, fought and died on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read more: http://militarytimes.com/news/2012/02/ap-pentagon-recommend-new-combat-roles-women-020812/

From the top ranks of the military to the bottom rung of the career ladder: That’s the reality that veterans often face when entering the civilian job market.

Read more: http://www.stripes.com/vets-transition-to-civilian-jobs-often-includes-a-perceived-step-down-1.168127

Seven lawmakers have written to the Pentagon expressing concern over a proposed merger between the company that manages TRICARE’s pharmacy benefit and another corporate pharmaceutical giant.

Read more: http://militarytimes.com/news/2012/02/military-tricare-pharmacy-merger-worries-lawmakers-020912w/

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, visiting troops in Afghanistan recently, was taken aback by the answer he got when he asked a soldier suiting up to go on patrol what concerned him most. "He didn't say he was most worried about facing the enemy that night," Nixon said last month. "He looked me in the eyes and said, 'Governor, I'm worried about whether there will be a job for me when I get home.'"

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/02/08/2384867/states-try-to-help-veterans-find.html

Another state has joined an interstate agreement to ease school transitions for children from military families, bringing the overall tally of member states to 40, a Defense Department official announced yesterday.

Read more: http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=67100

Pentagon officials say they’re all for a “New York-style tickertape parade” honoring combat troops who served in Iraq, but bowing to the military leadership’s wishes, agree that the best time to do so is after all combat troops have returned home from Afghanistan as well.

Read more: http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=67101

The recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act in Congress will make it easier for active-duty personnel and veterans to get mental health care wherever they are, officials said.

Read more: http://militarytimes.com/news/2012/02/army-law-oks-cross-state-ptsd-telehealth-counseling-020712/

An online Special Compensation for Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (SCAADL) calculator is now available to allow wounded, ill and injured Service members, family members, caregivers, care coordinators and the Military Services to determine the monthly stipend amount for caregiver support based on each Service member’s situation.

Read more: http://warriorcare.dodlive.mil/2012/02/07/new-calculator-to-help-determine-compensation-for-catastrophically-wounded-warrior-caregiver-support/

Since November, members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee have been pushing administration officials to clarify whether veterans programs could be trimmed as part of more than $500 billion in defense funding cuts mandated under the sequestration mechanism initiated by the failure of the congressional debt reduction panel last fall.

Read more: http://www.stripes.com/blogs/the-ruptured-duck/the-ruptured-duck-1.160117/questions-linger-on-funding-for-veterans-programs-1.167866

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will honor Iraq War veterans and their families at the White House later this month, White House officials announced in a statement today.

Read more: http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=67082