In 2009, former Air Force Reserve major John J. Murphy applied to be the manager of Radnor Township, Penn., a suburb of Philadelphia. Although Murphy believed his military experience would give him a better chance at clinching the position, he was denied the job, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Now, Murphy is suing the township's Board of Commissioners, alleging that the board used his military service against him in the hiring process.
The news source reported that Murphy and his lawyers are meeting with city officials this week to set up a trial date regarding the claims that the board was worried about Murphy's military commitment. The board, according to Murphy, thought that his service would force him to frequently leave the township.
"Someone who decides to put their life on the line for their country should not be denied the right to fair treatment," Murphy's attorney, David Tomaszewski, told the news outlet.
Military service is protected under the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which bars employees from discriminating against servicemembers during the hiring process. Active-duty and former servicemembers are equally protected under the USERRA, according to the Department of Labor. The law also protects disabled veterans looking for employment, and also ensures that returning servicemembers can be re-employed at their former jobs at the same pay and seniority status, regardless of their military absence.
A group of Ohio veterans recently attempted to block the razing of a veterans memorial in Columbus.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, city commissioners voted this week to demolish the Franklin County Veterans Memorial in order to make room for a multimillion dollar glass-and-steel veterans memorial and museum. The proposed facility is part of a larger plan to develop the Scioto Peninsula – which is located near downtown Columbus – and turn it into a cultural and educational hub.
Although a new building will be built in the place of the Franklin County Veterans Memorial, many Ohio veterans were angered by the redevelopment plan. According to the news source, a group of former servicemembers attended the city meeting to fight for the 60-year-old veterans complex. Some veterans argued that the memorial just needed to be renovated, not rebuilt, while others claimed that the new facility might drive away local veterans and their families.
"I feel outnumbered here. I'm not a general, I'm just a sergeant, but the military taught me what it means to be a family," told the news outlet, adding that many local veterans feared they would be charged a fee to enter the museum and memorial.
The Franklin County Veterans Memorial was established in 1955, and features a convention and entertainment hall used for trade shows, competitions and concerts, according to the memorial's website.
Following the departure of Deputy Secretary of State Ash Carter, President Obama has appointed Christine Fox to serve under Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel as the acting Deputy Defense Secretary. Fox, who previously served as the director of the department's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, will become the highest-ranking women to ever serve at the Defense Department.
"As a key leader of the Strategic Choices and Management Review, [Fox] helped identify the challenges, choices, and opportunities for reform facing the department during this period of unprecedented budget uncertainty," Hagel said in a statement released by the Pentagon.
According to Politico, Fox has been working in defense for decades, and was the inspiration for the fighter-pilot instructor in "Top Gun," the film's lead female role played by Kelly McGillis. A defense source told the news outlet that despite her vast experience, Fox does not want to be considered as a candidate for the permanent deputy defense secretary position.
Former Deputy Defense Secretary Carter announced his resignation in October, but did not officially leave his post until Dec. 4. Fox will take over this week and serve until Carter's successor is appointed.
After establishing the Home Base veterans employment program last month, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is continuing to push for veterans benefits. The governor announced Dec. 3 that the program, which encourages Iowa-based businesses to hire former servicemembers, is adding two incentives for local companies and stores.
According to The Sioux City Journal, Iowa companies that meet the requirements can be named a Home Base Iowa Business, while towns can be deemed a Home Base Community. To qualify as a Home Base Iowa Business, companies must post job openings on the Home Base Iowa website, hire a specific number of veterans and enroll in the Skilled Iowa program.
"Iowa Workforce Development has fielded dozens of calls and is working to place a number of veterans already," the governor said during a news conference. "We want veterans to know that Iowa can provide them not just a job, but a career in a caring, welcoming community."
Branstad added that all veterans in the state are eligible to use the Home Base services.
More than 240,000 veterans live in Iowa, according to a 2009 state summary from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veterans who have had run-ins with authorities might be able to find a second chance thanks to a new path through the court system.
According to ABC News, former servicemembers and legal professionals gathered this week at the Veterans Treatment Court Conference in Washington, D.C., to discuss the benefits of the courts. The conference was sponsored by Justice for Vets, a nonprofit that connects former servicemembers with the mental health and substance abuse treatment that they need.
Many veterans who attended the conference thanked the system for saving them from incarceration and providing them with a chance to reform, while legal professionals discussed the future of treatment courts.
"Someday in the not-so-distant future when there is a vet treatment court in reach of every vet in need, we will look back on today as the moment we turned the corner," Judge Robert Russell, who founded the first veterans treatment court in 2008 said at the conference, as quoted by the news source.
According to the Justice for Vets official website, veterans treatment courts work in a similar way to addiction and mental health courts. The courts require frequent appearances – typically bi-weekly – and mandatory attendance at counseling sessions.
Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter officially leaves his post at the Department of Defense Dec. 4, but he's not departing without first saying his goodbyes.
In a ceremony celebrating Carter's career at the Defense Department, the outgoing deputy defense secretary thanked his colleagues, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and also acknowledged the future of America's defense readiness.
"It's been the greatest privilege of my life," Carter said in his speech, as quoted in a statement released by the Pentagon. "More broadly, I hope we continue to learn ever better ways to combat terrorism, because as long as there is human society, there will be the problem of the few against the many, the aberrant and twisted against the decent and tolerant civilized life."
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey opened the reception with remarks, followed by speeches from Hagel and Jeremy Bash, the chief of staff for former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Bash read a note from Panetta to Carter.
According to the Pentagon, Carter served under 11 defense secretaries during his two tours at the DOD. The Washington Post previously reported that Carter was up for the job of Defense Secretary for the second term of the Obama administration.
A U.S. military court started hearing arguments this week on a high-profile prostitution case that occurred at the U.S. Army installation Fort Hood.
According to The Guardian, several women servicemembers stationed at Fort Hood appeared before the court Dec. 2, testifying that they were sexually exploited by a sergeant who was involved with the base's sexual assault and harassment prevention program. Prosecutors added that the sergeant specifically targeted young women servicemembers who were facing financial strife.
While the alleged leader of the prostitution ring, Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen, has yet to be charged because he is still under investigation by the Army, Master Sergeant Brad Grimes has been charged with conspiring to pay a female private for sex, the news source reported. However, his lawyers have denied the charges.
"At the end of the day, Master Sgt. Grimes chose to do the right thing and not have sex with that young lady," said defense attorney Daniel Conway, as quoted by the news source. "This is really a case about sex parties, and Master Sgt. Grimes had nothing to do with that."
News of Fort Hood's alleged sex ring broke last May when McQueen was accused of sexual assaulting a Fort Hood servicemember who he attempted to recruit for sexual services, according to Military Times. The servicemember later raised the complaint to base officials.
Following the June 26 Supreme Court decision that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, the U.S. Army has officially extended its military benefits to the same-sex spouses of Army servicemembers.
According to Military Times, a directive issued by the Army in November stated that married same-sex servicemembers are eligible for a range of entitlements, including military identification cards and survivor benefits. The directive also clarified that servicemembers who live in a state were gay marriage is not recognized can take up to a seven-day leave to travel to state where a license can be obtained. However, a leave of absence will not be granted for those who currently live in a state where same-sex marriage is legal.
The official directive from the Army falls in line with the Department of Defense's policy, which was altered last summer in response to the overturn of DOMA.
"It is now the Department's policy to treat all married military personnel equally," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in statement released last August. ""This will provide accelerated access to the full range of benefits offered to married military couples throughout the department."
Two North Carolina residents are currently working hard to honor fallen Vietnam veterans by putting a face to their names.
According to The News & Observer, brothers Jim and Tom Reece, along with their friend Rosa King, have been tracking down families throughout North Carolina to collect photographs of their loved ones who were killed during combat in Vietnam. So far, the trio has gathered together photographs of most of the 1,820 fallen North Carolina soldiers, but are still 174 short, the news outlet reported. Once they have all the photographs collected, they hope to feature them on veterans and genealogy websites so that they can be viewed by the public.
However, that's not all. The photographs will also be included in a project for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. According to the memorial's website, the Faces Never Forgotten exhibit will project the images of every fallen servicemember on a two-story screen located beneath the monument.
"Four million people a year visit The Wall, and 40 percent of them weren't alive in 1982 when it was dedicated. More than half weren't alive when the war was going on," Tim Tetz, director of outreach for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, told the news source. "We've got all these people who look at that black granite and see the names, and they say, 'How does this really impact me?'"
The fund announced in November that New Mexico is the first state to have a complete photograph archive.
Despite a drop in veterans homelessness nationwide, Pennsylvania has experienced an increase in its homeless veterans population over the last four years.
According to NBC Philadelphia, there were 46 percent more veterans in Pennsylvania living without permanent housing in 2013 than there were in 2009. About 440 of the state's more than 1,400 homeless veterans reside in Philadelphia.
The state's sizeable increase of its homeless veterans population strays considerably from the national rate, which dropped 24 percent since 2009, the news source stated. Several veterans said that a reason for the increase might be Philadelphia's high unemployment rate, which is currently 10.8 percent, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Jobs would be the No. 1 thing," Darryl Halsell, a homeless Philadelphia veteran, told the news source. "A lot of vets here want to work. It's hard to find work."
A recent report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that there were more than 57,000 homeless veterans in January 2013, marking an 8 percent decline from 2012 and a 24 percent drop between 2009 and 2013. Approximately 60 percent of the nation's homeless veterans reside in shelters or transitional housing programs.