President Bush plans to appoint former Sen. Bob Dole, a World War II veteran, and former Clinton Administration Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to co-chair the new President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors—the commission spawned by recent revelations of substandard support at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The commission’s charter extends beyond Walter Reed to the entire spectrum of services and care provided to wounded troops as they are returned to military service or to civilian life. Bush also announced Monday that he directed VA head James Nicholson to for a separate task force to examine existing federal services for returning war on terror servicemembers and make recommendations to fill any “gaps.”
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…