The Senate approved a measure allowing S. 3457, the Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012, to proceed to floor debate. The bill would establish a veterans jobs corps that employs veterans as firefighters and law enforcement officers; on conservation, resource management, and historic preservation projects on public lands; and on maintenance and improvement projects for national cemeteries. “Our veterans have what it takes to not only find work, but to excel in the workforce of the 21st century,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chair, on Sept. 11, according to a release from her office. She spoke on the Senate floor prior to the cloture motion that passed, allowing the bill to advance. “Too often,” Murray added, “on the day our service members are discharged, we as a nation pat them on their back for their service, without also giving them a helping hand into the job market. This has to end.” She noted that the bill is fully paid for with bipartisan spending offsets. There are more than 720,000 unemployed veterans, according to the release.
Airman 1st Class Marcus White-Allen concocted a story to cover up that he fired his M18 9mm pistol into Airman Braden Lovan’s chest, killing him on July 20, two Airmen from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., testified during separate courts martial proceedings on Oct. 30-31.
