Linda F. Hersey

Linda F. Hersey is a veterans reporter based in Washington, D.C. She previously covered the Navy and Marine Corps at Inside Washington Publishers. She also was a government reporter at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska, where she reported on the military, economy and congressional delegation.

hersey.linda@stripes.com

Troops in camouflage uniforms and helmets holding riot shields stand in front of a group of protesters in a plaza outside an office building.

Another 2,000 National Guard troops ordered into LA to help subdue ongoing protests

Another 2,000 members of the California National Guard were deployed to Los Angeles to maintain order following riots and protests over immigration enforcement actions across the city, according to U.S. Northern Command.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team under Title 10 authority provide protection to federal functions, property, and law enforcement personnel in Los Angeles, June 14, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission.

Veterans medical center in LA shuts down amid unrest over Trump’s immigration crackdown

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington on Dec. 13, 2023.

Thousands of medically retired veterans qualify for retroactive combat disability pay after Supreme Court ruling

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, left, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer, and Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp, commanding general of the Joint Task ForceÐNational Capital Region, lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Arlington, Va., during an Army Full Honor Wreath Ceremony marking the U.S. ArmyÕs 250th birthday. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

‘We live in a great country’: Arlington wreath ceremony marks the start of Army’s 250th birthday celebration

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee ranking member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., holds a press conference Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Washington with veterans service organizations to call for congressional action on the Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at improving access to health care and benefits for military sexual trauma survivors and strengthening claims processing. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Fear of reprisal contributes to ‘scourge’ of military sexual trauma, veterans groups warn

The nation’s leading veterans service organizations urged Congress to adopt a bill that would give survivors of military sexual assault and sexual harassment greater access to health care services and benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hundreds of service members, civilians, families, and members of the community gathered at the installation's Community Club on Jun 26, to participate in the Fort Buchanan Hiring and Education Fair, organized by the Transition Assistance Program (TAP).

Lawmakers hear a dozen bills to improve basic veterans benefits for education, home loans and job training

Easing some of the challenges that service members encounter as they seek advanced education, home loans and job training after military service were addressed in a series of bills presented at a House hearing on economic opportunities for veterans.

Street-level photo looking up at a Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington, D.C.

GOP-led House bills seek to simplify claims appeals for veterans and their families

Four bills for improving reviews of denied VA claims would update policies and automate tools for electronic processing to speed up the determinations for compensation to veterans, their families and caregivers, lawmakers said.

Transgender veteran files lawsuit to overturn ban on gender-affirming care

A transgender Army veteran whose hormone therapy was halted by the Department of Veterans Affairs has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the VA’s ban on gender-affirming care.

Three women stand on a dirt path holding up a sign reading “Hands off VA,” with the Washington Monument in the background.

Thousands of veterans rally at National Mall to protest federal layoffs, cuts to services

Veterans and their supporters gathered on the National Mall in Washington for the Unite for Veterans rally, a day-long event billed as a grassroots movement to activate vets across the country to come together and oppose the Trump administration’s initiatives that include layoffs at the Department of Veterans Affairs and cuts to veterans services.

A blue awning, seen from below, reads “Department of Veterans Affairs” outside a government building with a U.S. flag hanging above it.

VA’s disability calculator produced wrong results, costing some vets thousands of dollars

A federal watchdog reported findings from a review of an automated compensation calculator that was part of a web-based benefits management system. Errors resulted when the calculator was figuring payments for certain disability combinations.

An entrance sign on the Department of Veterans Affairs building, seen from below.

House subpanel advances $453B VA budget bill for fiscal 2026

Lawmakers on Thursday voted 9-6 at a hearing of the committee’s subpanel on military construction, veterans affairs and related agencies to advance the GOP-led bill to the full committee for consideration. The bill would is an increase of more than $50 billion from 2025.

Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., is leading a bill that would allow for-profit companies to provide initial claims assistance for a fee to veterans filing for disability compensation. Bergman, who is a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, speaks at a hearing in September 2024.

Groups that file free disability claims for vets oppose bill allowing companies to charge a fee

Advocacy groups that help veterans file disability claims for free with the Department of Veterans Affairs are opposing a Republican-led bill that would enable commercial companies to charge thousands of dollars for the same service.

VA budget tops $400 billion for 2025 from higher spending on mandated benefits, medical care

Congress has appropriated a $31.7 billion increase to the $369.1 billion spending plan to cover veterans disability compensation and medical care through the Toxic Exposures Fund that is required under federal law.

Navy ends experiments using cats and dogs as test subjects

The Navy announced the termination of all research testing on cats and dogs, after facing increased pressure from lawmakers and animal rights groups.

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