Approximately 120,000 veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan receiving care through the Department of Veterans Affairs will get top priority when they try to access treatment, according to VA Secretary James Nicholson. Veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom make up two percent of VA’s total patient load, but they are just returning from combat, and they deserve priority for their physical and mental needs, Nicholson said.
A half-dozen pilots from one of the Air Force’s premier F-16 units, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., have been awarded one of the service’s highest decorations for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.