Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.

USA Today found that the Pentagon knowingly sent 43,000 troops to Iraq and Afghanistan that were determined to be medically unfit for combat in the weeks prior to their deployment, another sign of the unprecedented stress on our military. (usatoday.com)

Colby Buzzell, author of the book My War and the blog of the same name, is being called back to Iraq three years after leaving the Army. Buzzell's blog was one of the first to come from a soldier in Iraq; he writes about his being redeployed in the San Francisco Chronicle. (sfgate.com)

After last week's announcement that it would seek to assist wounded veterans with voting and voter registration, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it would not allow voter registration drives in VA facilities, citing provisions in the Hatch Act and worries that it would cause disruptions in the facilities. Veterans' advocates called the action "despicable". (alternet.org)

The number of Army stop-loss orders are up dramatically since last year. Critics say the involuntary extensions of soldiers' enlistment terms amount to a backdoor draft. (latimes.com)

Lastly, the military is rolling out programs around the country to treat TBI (Traumatic Brain Injuries), which a recent study by the Rand Corporation says affects one in five troops that have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. (signonsandiego.com)

Veterans of America is proud to sponsor the Our Troops Newsladder, a new tool to find the top news and articles in the progressive community by, about and for our troops.