A key Republican lawmaker accused Veterans Affairs leaders of knowingly misusing nearly $11 million in incentive pay awards to benefit senior department officials instead of retaining in-demand staff following the release of a critical report by a federal watchdog on Thursday. The controversy stems from erroneous bonuses doled out to senior executives last summer and fall as part of the $117 million Critical Skill Incentive Payments program authorized by Congress. Money from that fund has been given to more than 13,000 staffers with high-demand skills in an effort to keep them in VA hospitals ..read more

By the summer of 1965, just months after the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade landed at Da Nang, the intensity of the Vietnam War was surging. Ramping up, too, were the rules of engagement. President Lyndon B. Johnson was reportedly quoted as saying American pilots could not bomb an outhouse without his approval. Frustrated pilots found themselves “flying into heavily defended areas on predictable flight paths that exposed them to great risk while yielding often token results,” Stuart I. Rochester wrote in “The Battle Behind Bars.” It was in this environment that then-Capt. Harlan Page Chapman ..read more

Senators worried about cutbacks in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employee levels are asking appropriators to include safeguards against inadequate staffing in their plans for the department’s budget next fiscal year. In a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee’s leaders on VA issues, a bipartisan group of 17 senators — led by Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Angus King, I-Maine — asked for language in the upcoming budget measure that would require details on planned reductions in staffing and how that could impact service at department medical centers. “Inconsistent staffing patterns ..read more

Russian officials on Tuesday said an American soldier being held in Vladivostok will remain in jail for at least two more months while authorities review the theft charges against him. Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, who has served in the Army since 2008, was arrested by Russian police on May 2 after traveling from his South Korean base to the Russian city, which sits near the country’s border with North Korea. In a statement released Tuesday, Russian court officials said that Black will remain in pre-trial confinement until July 2 as law enforcement officials further investigate the case. U.S. State ..read more

BRETTEVILLE-L’ORGUEILLEUSE, France (AP) — On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic who was ready to give his life — and save as many as he could. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th anniversary commemorations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. “I guess I was prepared to give my life if I had to. Fortunately, I did not have to,” Shay said in an interview with The Associated Press. A Penobscot tribe citizen from Indian Island in the U.S. sta ..read more

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information about the soldier arrested and additional reporting by The Associated Press. An American soldier is being held by Russian authorities on charges of criminal misconduct, Army officials confirmed Monday. The Associated Press cited U.S. officials who said the soldier, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to Fort Cavazos in Texas. Instead, officials said Black, who is married, traveled to Russia to see a longtime girlfriend and was accused of theft. The officials spoke on ..read more

In 1978, from my station at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, I received the order to deploy to the Marshall Islands to assist with the Enewetak Atoll Radiological Cleanup Project. I was assured that as part of this deployment, I would not receive any more radiation than I would from walking the streets of New York City. I worked 12-hour days, six days a week, digging up irradiated soil and drinking heavily irradiated water. Since returning, I’ve experienced myriad health problems, including sterility, autoimmune diseases, degenerative bone disease, and spinal stenosis. By the age of 40, I was ..read more

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown this week will make their fourth appearance of the spring on Capitol Hill to discuss the fiscal 2025 defense budget request, an annual cycle that this year has focused as much on Ukraine and Gaza as the future of the American military force. House and Senate lawmakers have peppered the two Defense Department leaders with questions about American military operations in both regions. Although no U.S. troops are directly involved in the fighting, American military equipment is being used in both conflicts. Austin’s pre-planned ..read more

House lawmakers want to know how many veterans had personal medical data compromised in a massive cybersecurity attack earlier this year against the private firm Change Healthcare, calling it a potential “catastrophe” for families across the country. So far, both Veterans Affairs officials and executives at UnitedHealth Group — which owns Change Healthcare — have said they do not know if any such private information was stolen in the attack. But corporate leaders have acknowledged that “a substantial proportion of people in America” could have been affected by the breach, and understanding the ..read more

Veterans Affairs’ top official in charge of cemetery and memorial services will step down at the end of this month, opening up a key leadership post at the department. Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn has served in that role since June 2021. His last day will be May 23. VA officials have not yet named an official to take over the leadership post on an acting basis. In a message to National Cemetery Administration staff, Quinn said he is making the move to spend more time with his family. He praised department employees for their professionalism and success over the last three ..read more