Episode #131: Weekly News Roundup for April 13, 2012

In "This Week in the DoD" for April 13: This week marked the one-year anniversary of the Joining Forces campaign, a program focused on military families led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden. The White House celebrated the anniversary, and Obama appeared on a special military-focused episode of "The Colbert Report." Two service members were awarded their service's second-highest honors this week. U.S. Air Force Capt. Barry Crawford was given the Air Force Cross for his leadership and bravery during a special tactics operation in a Taliban stronghold. U.S. Army Sgt. Felipe Pereira received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions following a suicide attack and ambush in Kandahar, Afghanistan. In Virginia Beach, Va., an F/A-18 fighter jet crashed, hitting an apartment complex. The air crew ejected safely; nobody was killed in the crash. The Navy is currently looking into the reasons for the mishap and beginning the compensation process for people who lost their homes and property. In Morocco, a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey went down, killing two Marines. The crew, operating from the USS Iwo Jima, were taking part in Exercise African Lion, an annual bilateral training exercise between the U.S. military and the Kingdom of Morocco. This year, Tax Day is Tuesday, April 17. Certain service members and military families have different deadlines, and there are services available to troops who haven't yet filed.