The guided missile cruiser Normandy is set to return to Norfolk from Haiti today, the Navy announced this morning. The Normandy spent two weeks supporting the U.S. military's relief effort there. The ship's crew helped to deliver food and water to earthquake victims. It also assisted with medical evacuations.

The key players in a hazing scandal among Navy dog handlers in Bahrain finally had their day in court, three years after the original investigation ended and one implicated sailor killed herself. The venue wasn't a court-martial; it was a retirement pay hearing for the unit's enlisted leader, Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint.

The state Office of Consumer Affairs has alerted consumers that a Virginia Beach company calling itself Veteran Services of Hampton Roads is soliciting contributions as a charity but has not registered as such with the state as required. Although the name is similar, the company is not affiliated with the state Department of Veterans Services, the Virginia agency that assists veterans.

HAMPTON

More than 70 soldiers from Fort Lee will begin deploying to Haiti tonight from Langley Air Force Base.

NORFOLK The guided missile destroyer Cole will deploy today from Norfolk Naval Station.  The deployment was pushed from Friday to today because of the weekend storm.

NORFOLK The Post-9/11 GI Bill was deployed in the fall to help veterans and their relatives retool for new careers. Yet some waited months for their federal payments and sank deeper in debt. That's got to change, U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye said Friday.

HAGERSTOWN, Md.  The U.S. military's highest court has upheld the convictions of two soldiers for abusing Abu Ghraib prison detainees in Iraq.

In opinions released today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in Washington affirmed the conviction of former Army Spc. Sabrina Harman, who helped place a hooded detainee atop a box with wires in his hands.

By James Hohmann 

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi suggested Thursday that Democrats may wait on voting to repeal the ban on gays in the military until after the midterm elections and after the Pentagon has completed a full review of its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

This story was originally published May 8, 2007 By Jack Dorsey and Lauren King

PORTSMOUTH

The Coast Guard rescued nine people Monday from three sailboats that had to be abandoned in heavy seas off the North Carolina coast.

A search for a fourth boat believed to be in distress was suspended in the morning when its emergency position radio beacon stopped transmitting.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli recently signed a statement of support for his staff members who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. By signing the statement, employers pledge to "recognize, honor and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act," according to the Web site of the organization Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.