Now that U.S. combat troops have left Iraq, this might be the perfect moment for our favorite Texas Air National Guard alumnus to dig out that flight suit and get his Top Gun groove back on.

President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech aboard an aircraft carrier on May 1, 2003, may have been seven years too soon, but how was he to know that the arms of Iraqis wouldn’t be welcoming? And what part of “Operation Iraqi Freedom” didn’t those ungrateful people understand? Did they really think we charged into their country looking for weapons of mass destruction?

As our combat forces leave Iraq, I’d like to give credit where credit is due – not for getting us out of Iraq, but for getting us into Iraq.

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This editorial will appear in Thursday’s print edition.

Military spouses trying to take college or trade school classes often face hurdles many other students don’t face – like moving around a lot and dealing with the stresses of a loved one’s deployment.

But for the last year, they’ve had one good thing going for them: the Defense Department’s Military Spouse Career Advancement Account program (MyCAA). Since March 2009, the program has provided up to $6,000 in tuition assistance to any of the 1.3 million spouses of active-duty military or reservists called to active duty.

For spouses of lower-ranking military members, that money’s been more than helpful; it’s been critical to getting the education or skills needed for careers that are as mobile as they are. But in February, the military abruptly pulled the plug on the program – because it was proving too popular. Read more »