President Obama on Thursday signed legislation into law that provides funding to cover the death gratuities paid to the grieving families of fallen service personnel, reported NBC News. The federal government’s partial shutdown had disrupted these payments. The House unanimously passed the legislation on Oct. 9. The Senate followed suit on Oct. 10. The bill’s enactment came one day after the Pentagon announced a workaround solution with the Fisher House Foundation, whereby the foundation would cover the costs of the death benefits up front to aid the families and DOD would reimburse the Fisher House at a later point.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…