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Peake Sworn in As VA Secretary |
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New Leader Pledges to Look to the Future
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
WASHINGTON (December 20, 2007) - In a ceremony
today Dr. James B. Peake, a combat veteran of
the Vietnam War and former Army Surgeon General,
was sworn in by President George W. Bush as the
nation's sixth Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
"Dr. Peake takes office at a critical moment in
the history of this Department," said President
Bush. "Our nation is at war - and many new
veterans are leaving the battlefield and
entering the VA system. This system provides our
veterans with the finest care - but the
bureaucracy can be difficult to navigate."
Secretary Peake stressed his commitment to
easing the transition of our current generation
of returning, combat experienced men and women
and of "the opportunity to look to the future of
this newest generation of combat veterans
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan - getting it
right for them and for their families."
Peake, who retired in 2004 as a three-star
general, is a board-certified thoracic surgeon.
His commands included the U.S. Army Medical
Command, headquartered at Ft. Sam Houston,
Texas; Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma,
Wash.; the 44th Medical Brigade at Fort Bragg,
N.C.; and the 18th Medical Command in Seoul,
South Korea.
Secretary Peake told those assembled, "You need
to know that I believe deeply in the mission;
and that I believe in you. I know quite a number
of you already. I've seen the ethic, the caring,
the compassion, and the technical skills."
A native of St. Louis and graduate of the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point, Peake attended
medical school after serving in Vietnam, where
he earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
As Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Peake assumes
leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA), the second largest cabinet department,
with about 250,000 employees and a budget last
year exceeding $82 billion.
More than 5.5 million veterans are expected to
receive care this year in VA's 153 hospitals and
900 clinics. VA also provides disability
compensation and pensions to 3.5 million
veterans and family members, and operates 125
national cemeteries. |
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