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President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address to the American people Jan. 28, touching on several topics relating to veterans and the military. The president mentioned the "Joining Forces" initiative, which encourages employers to hire veterans and their family members, and the efforts the government is currently taking to get these individuals the benefits and care they need.

State police hope to entice active military personnel, veterans and full-time cops to join its ranks by allowing them to replace college credits with work experience. Gov. Tom Corbett announced on Wednesday that, effective immediately, state police cadets can get a waiver on some, or all, of required college credits if they served in the military or law enforcement for a certain amount of time.

Military training is a demanding experience. Service members test themselves mentally and physically by enduring extreme situations. The skills learned in these exercises put soldiers in a position to succeed on the battlefield, but they also remain valuable when a veteran transitions from the service into civilian life.

Oskar Zepeda has had pretty much one mission in his life: kill or capture. After serving nine tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, he now has a new target - child predators. Zepeda, 29, is part of a 17-member class of veterans trained in computer forensics and sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices. They aren't paid, and there's no guarantee they'll have a full-time job when their one-year stint ends. But the interns are finding the purpose of their new mission outweighs financial considerations.

Police, sheriffs and other law enforcement departments around Minnesota are seeking to shore up their ranks in preparation for a possible large-scale exodus of older, experienced veterans next spring when pension changes could result in a wave of early retirements. Out of about 10,500 peace officers in the state, an estimated 10 percent could be eligible to retire early by May 31, 2014, after which pension reductions will increase for those who retire before they turn 55.

LAPD Officer Don Thompson, a 26-year veteran and bomb squad member, was on his way to work when he witnessed a fiery crash on the 405 freeway.