Desert Storm Commander Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf Dies

Photo credit: Navy Live

His nickname was “Stormin’ Norman” reportedly for his quick temper, but retired Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf was also remembered for his swift victory in the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm.

Norman’s last post was as head of U.S. Central Command at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base. He retired in the community. The Associated Press reports that Norman died Thursday in Tampa at age 78.

From the blog post by USS Nicholas (FFG 47) Commanding Officer Cmdr. Stephen Fuller who shares his thoughts about the Battle of Ad-Dawrah a quote from Gen. Schwarzkopf.

VA Backlog of Benefits Claims Got Worse in 2012

Making it easier for veterans to apply for benefits and disability for traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and agent orange exposure served to swell the backlog of VA benefits claims in 2012.

The VA has processed about 1 million claims a year, but more than 1 million new ones keep coming in reported Quil Lawrence of NPR.

Hundreds of thousands of veterans who suffered injuries while serving in the military must wait many months for care and compensation. Slightly more than 863,000 people had pending compensation claims with the VA in December, according to a Dec. 17 report.

A Backlog Worsens

At the start of 2012, the department promised to cut into that big backlog of claims. But over the course of the year, that backlog has gotten worse, not better.