The TAPS Daily - October 28, 2020

Welcome to The TAPS Daily - curated news and resources relevant to military, veterans, and their families. For more news and resources, visit our Government Resources page.

1. National Guard sent to Philly in response to unrest over fatal police shooting
   Connecting Vets
   Thanks to the work of voting assistance officers across Army Training and Doctrine Command, new soldiers currently at basic combat training are having their absentee ballots counted too.
2. Senators, advocates warn VA isn't following Trump executive order on veteran suicide prevention
   Connecting Vets
   Veteran advocates and lawmakers say they're concerned the VA isn't following through with a 2018 executive order intended to help prevent veteran suicide.
3. 'An Unprecedented Man:' Medal of Honor Recipient Ron Shurer Laid to Rest at Arlington
   Military.com
   Ron Shurer's life was remembered Tuesday as a many-chaptered love story of selfless giving at the funeral mass that preceded his full honors burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
4. New voters surge to the polls
   The Hill
   More than 16 million voters who did not cast a ballot in 2016 have already voted this year, a sign that record-high enthusiasm in November’s elections will lead to an unprecedented turnout.
5. Dodgers star Justin Turner tests positive for COVID, pulled from World Series win
   NBC News
   Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman tested positive for coronavirus and was pulled in the 7th inning of the team’s World Series-clinching game. The Dodgers have supported families of fallen heroes through the TAPS Sports & Entertainment program.
6. Gulf Coast Braces For 'Life-Threatening' Storm Surge As Hurricane Zeta Nears
   NPR
   The U.S. Gulf Coast is preparing for yet more calamitous weather, as Hurricane Zeta is expected to make landfall over southeastern Louisiana sometime Wednesday afternoon.
7. COVID-19: Halloween safety tips for trick-or-treating
   USA Today
   Here are creative and safe ways to hand out candy during Halloween in a pandemic.

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• Senate hearing urged on Pentagon vaccine effort
  Defense News
  Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are calling on panel leaders to hold a hearing on the Defense Department’s response to COVID-19 and its role in Operation Warp Speed.
• U.S. troops say German tax officials are asking for sensitive personal information
  Stars & Stripes
  German tax collectors are trying to gather personal information about U.S. military personnel to build tax-liability cases against troops.
• Deported Marine veteran wins federal lawsuit, earns U.S. citizenship
  Military Times
  A Belize-born Marine Corps veteran won his battle for U.S. citizenship on Tuesday, completing a naturalization interview that had been on hold for more than a year.
• Tricare Prescription Drug Costs Won’t Rise in 2021
  Military.com
  Some good news for Tricare beneficiaries facing increasing costs in Tricare enrollment fees and premiums, next year: Your prescription drug costs will not change.
• Senators introduce bipartisan bill to expand screening of foreign visitors
  The Hill
  Two senators introduced bipartisan legislation that would expand Homeland Security’s visa screening process, with the goal of rooting out potential terrorists among foreign visitors.

• Poll: Nearly 70 percent say election a 'significant source of stress'
  The Hill
  Nearly two-thirds of Americans say next week's election is a "significant source of stress," according to a survey released by the American Psychological Association.
• Walter Wallace, mental illness: Family called ambulance, not police
  USA Today
  Walter Wallace's death is only the most recent incident of police fatally shooting someone with a mental illness.
• Four Ways To Help Improve Your Employees’ Mental Health
  Forbes
  Four simple initiatives a company can implement to try and improve staff mental well-being.
• Everyone Has A Grief Archetype — Here's How To Figure Out Yours
  Mind Body Green
  Exploring grief within the content of an archetype is a simple way to help us recognize shared patterns. That's important because it's common to feel alone in our experiences when we grieve.
• Biomarkers For PTSD And Depression Could Mean Personalized Treatment For Patients
  Forbes
  Depression and anxiety disorders like PTSD are common worldwide but clinicians struggle with determining the best treatments for all patients.

• Military to play logistics-only role in COVID-19 vaccine effort
  Connecting Vets
  U.S. military personnel won't be administering any COVID-19 vaccines to the American people once the vaccines are approved for use.
• New Navy barracks named for USS John S. McCain
  UPI
  The name honors the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS John S. McCain and the 10 Navy personnel who died when the ship collided with a tanker off the Singapore coast in 2017.
• Airman Awarded Bronze Star For Actions During Attacks on Al-Asad Air Base
  Task & Purpose
  An airman was awarded the Bronze Star this month for supporting airstrikes in Iraq that led to more than 100 confirmed enemy kills, according to an Air Force news release.
• How 'safety pauses' help reduce aviation training deaths
  Connecting Vets
  The Navy has ordered an operational “safety pause,” as military branches have done following a series of flight mishaps. But what benefit do safety pauses serve -- and are they enough?

• Veterans in the U.S. Senate and the 2020 Election: What You Need to Know
  Military.com
  While most attention in the 2020 election cycle has been on the presidential race, Nov. 3 also has the potential to change the population of military veterans in the U.S. Senate.
• Film documentary tells the story of World War II's female aviators, the WASPs
  Connecting Vets
  Coming Home: Fight for a Legacy isa a documentary by Red Door Films about the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots of WWII (WASPs).

• Vanessa Guillen's sister says 'we still don't know the truth' about her death
  CNN
  Months after the remains of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen were found in Texas, her family says there are still many things they don't know about her killing.
• As coronavirus infections surge in Italy, Germany, cases are reported at DODEA schools
  Stars & Stripes
  Students and staff at three schools in U.S. military communities in Germany and Italy may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

Banner photo courtesy of the School of Advanced International Studies | John Hopkins University.