This is Stucci Media’s home for veterans, service members and the families who stand behind them. We cover the VA rules, benefit changes and bills that land in your mailbox, explain what they mean in plain English, and tell you what to do next.
We also track the military and national security decisions that reach bases, deployments and kitchen tables, and we make room for the people who served. Their stories deserve more than one day a year. Every piece is sourced to the agency, the bill text or the people involved, and when a rule changes we update the story so the newest version is the one you land on.
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Three stories that show what this beat is about.
Oct 28, 2026VA Disability Rating Changes Explained: What Changed in 2026 and What Didn’t
Sep 28, 2026Home After 76 Years: The Teenage Soldier Lost at Chosin Finally Has His Name Back
Oct 13, 2026How a Grandnephew’s DNA Hunt Is Bringing USS Arizona Unknowns HomeVA Benefits and Claims
Ratings, claims, COLA, insurance and the bills moving through Congress. What changed, who it affects and the steps to take.
VGLI Premium Holiday: What to Check on Your Statement
The VGLI premium holiday waives three months of premiums. Here’s what it saves at your age and what to check on your statement.
Veterans COLA Bill Passes House, Heads to Senate
The House votes Monday on H.R. 8552, the veterans COLA bill that turns the 3.6% raise into law for VA disability and DIC checks. What it does and…
VA Advisory Committees Stall as Seats Go Unfilled
Panels on women veterans and Gulf War Illness have gone months without meeting. What VA records show, and how to apply for a seat.
VA Disability Rating Changes Explained: What Changed in 2026 and What Didn’t
VA’s sleep apnea, tinnitus and mental health rating criteria have not changed in 2026, and a medication rule lasted 10 days. Here is where each…
VA Clears Record 3.1 Million Claims, but Accuracy Questions Linger
VA processed a record 3.1 million disability claims in FY2026. Its own data shows accuracy gaps and rising review requests. Here is what veterans…
VA Awards $16 Million to Help Disabled Veterans Get Back in the Game
VA is sending $16 million to 91 adaptive sports programs, from sled hockey to archery. Here is where the money goes, including six Florida groups.
H.R. 6047: The $833 a Month Congress Promised Disabled Veterans Is Stuck in the Senate
H.R. 6047 would give 8,000 catastrophically disabled veterans $833 a month and raise survivor DIC. It passed the House in May. Here is why the Senate…
Take Care of Veterans Act: 54,000 Combat Heroes Can’t Wait
The Take Care of Veterans Act is in committee right now. Here’s what H.R. 9237 actually does for 54,000 combat-injured veterans — and why Congress is…
Military Families and National Security
Base security, evacuations, oversight reports and Pentagon decisions, told from the angle of the troops and families who live with them.
Navy Chaplain In-Service Procurement Program Explained
The Navy will pay for seminary on active duty. Packages are due Jan. 15, 2027. Here is who qualifies and what it costs in years of service.
RAF Mildenhall Iran Threat: What FPCON Charlie Means
U.S. aircraft left RAF Mildenhall over an Iran threat. What FPCON Charlie means for Air Force families in Suffolk.
Counter-Drone Agreement: What It Means for Military Bases
A five-agency counter-drone agreement sets who tests and clears defenses for bases and the border. It brings no new money or legal authority.
Navy Families Evacuated From Bahrain Face a Nov. 30 Cutoff
About 1,300 Navy families evacuated from Bahrain lose safe haven pay Nov. 30 unless the acting Navy secretary approves each case. Here are the dates.
Commissary Freezer Hack Probe: What Military Families Should Know
Pentagon investigators are treating August freezer failures at base commissaries as a suspected hack. Here is the timeline and what shoppers should…
GAO Finds Pentagon’s Responsible AI Office Filled 3 of 10 Jobs
A GAO audit finds the Pentagon’s responsible AI office had 3 of 10 staff as Hegseth builds a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command.
Drone Ban Now in Effect Along Entire U.S.-Mexico Border
A new border drone ban covers a one-mile strip along the U.S.-Mexico border through October 2027. What it covers, who can fly and why.
Nidal Hasan Execution: Pentagon’s Livestream Plan Splits Faith Leaders
The Army set Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan’s firing squad execution for Dec. 3. A plan to livestream it has divided faith leaders and the GOP.
Operation Popeye: The U.S. Military’s Secret Rainmaking War in Vietnam – A Declassified History of Weather as Weapon
Uncover Operation Popeye—the U.S. military’s hidden cloud-seeding program to weaponize rain during Vietnam. Full 1974 hearings breakdown, benefits…
Afghanistan withdrawal ‘WORST THING I’VE EVER SEEN’: GOP Vets Reveal Raw Anguish 4 Years After
Republican veteran lawmakers blast Biden’s “bungled” Afghanistan withdrawal on 4-year anniversary, citing ongoing consequences for national security.
Honoring Service
Medal of Honor recipients, World War II veterans past 100, a soldier finally identified after 76 years, and the people still showing up for them.
Why Veterans Day Is Nov. 11: The Laws Behind the Holiday, From Armistice Day to Today
Veterans Day 2026 is Wednesday, Nov. 11. Here is how a 1918 ceasefire became a day for every veteran, the 1975 law that fixed the date, and what is…
Desert Storm Memorial Opens on National Mall as VA Deadline Nears
The Desert Storm memorial opened Oct. 24 on the National Mall, honoring nearly 700,000 who served, as a VA Gulf War illness date nears.
How a Grandnephew’s DNA Hunt Is Bringing USS Arizona Unknowns Home
The USS Arizona unknowns will be disinterred Dec. 7 after one grandnephew found the 643 families the military needed for DNA matches.
At 95, a Gold Star Mother Still Greets Veterans at the Miami VA Named for Her Son
Georgie Carter-Krell, 95, still volunteers at the Miami VA named for her son, Medal of Honor Marine Bruce W. Carter, killed in Vietnam at 19.
Power 2 Protect: Veterans For Child Rescue Brings Its Fight Against Child Trafficking to Oro Valley
Veterans For Child Rescue hosts Power 2 Protect on October 10 in Oro Valley, Arizona, with founder Craig “Sawman” Sawyer, live art by Vanessa…
Four World War II Veterans Over 100 Honored in Ocala, and the Stories They Came to Tell
Four World War II veterans, all 100 or older, shared their stories at an Ocala summit. Fewer than 31,000 WWII veterans remain.
65 Living Legends, One City: Detroit Hosts the Medal of Honor Convention
Detroit hosted America’s Medal of Honor recipients for the first time. Meet the Michigan heroes behind the nation’s rarest honor.
Home After 76 Years: The Teenage Soldier Lost at Chosin Finally Has His Name Back
Cpl. Vester Hicks Jr. vanished at 17 near the Chosin Reservoir in 1950. DNA science just brought him home to Michigan.
He Almost Walked Out of His First Wheelchair Games. Now He’s a Two-Time Paralympian.
Paralyzed after a 1995 Army training fall, Orlando Perez nearly quit his first National Veterans Wheelchair Games. He became Puerto Rico’s first…
Glenn Baker’s Walk For A Hero Wants to Put 100 Paralyzed Veterans Back on Their Feet
Walk For A Hero, founded by Desert Storm veteran Glenn Baker, funds $150,000 exoskeletons for paralyzed veterans through GPS-tracked 15-mile walks.…
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