Fired U.S. General to Head White House Panel

WASHINGTON - The former top U.S. general in Afghanistan, who was fired when he enraged the White House by disparaging the Obama administration in a magazine article, is coming back to head a new advisory board to support military families.

A White House spokesman said Monday retired General Stanley McChrystal would oversee the three-member panel oversee the Joining Forces program, led by first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden.

Obama sacked McChrystal in June after the U.S. Army general and his aides enraged the White House by disparaging Biden and other top civilian advisers in an article for Rolling Stone magazine.

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will launch a national initiative to support U.S. troops and their families Tuesday at the White House. The two will then embark on a two-day national tour to highlight the effort. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Mohammad Zargham)