WASHINGTON — When Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, first met the three young children of fallen Marine Gunnery Sgt. John David Fry during a tearful Veterans’ Day tribute in Waco in 2007, he was haunted by their father's story.

With only a week left in his Iraq tour in 2006, Fry, 28, had volunteered to go on one last run to defuse bombs — and the last bomb killed him.

After another emotional meeting last March with the family at the dedication of the post office in Fry’s honor in his hometown of Lorena, Texas, the lawmaker realized there was something else he needed to do – provide for the college education of the children of military heroes. » read more

WASHINGTON — Several employees at the Miami Veterans Affairs hospital are likely to be disciplined for failing to detect problems with improperly sterilized medical equipment in a case that's enraged members of Congress.

The disclosure of the potential punishments came as federal lawmakers chided the Department of Veterans Affairs for not moving faster to address mistakes that may have exposed thousands of veterans to HIV and hepatitis. A VA Inspector General's report released Tuesday showed that fewer than half of VA medical facilities reviewed during a recent surprise inspection could provide evidence of proper procedures and training, though VA officials had promised Congress prompt action after problems at three VA facilities were disclosed.

"You certainly would think that after the initial discoveries and the directive from the VA that medical directors would make sure that all of their equipment and procedures were brought into line, and yet this investigation shows that many, many did not," said Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. "There will be a public accounting of this situation." » read more