February 24, 2015

House Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Corrine Brown Comments on Veterans’ Affairs Secretary McDonald’s Military Service

Washington D.C. —  Following the apology of the Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Robert McDonald, for erroneously claiming service in The United States’ Special Operations Forces, Ranking Member Corrine Brown of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee released the following statement:

“The Secretary gave an appropriate apology following his misstatement, which demonstrates his commitment to accountability. I am confident that his statement was not intended to mislead and that it will not inhibit the Secretary’s focus on turning the Department of Veterans’ Affairs into a first-class agency that is dedicated to serving our veterans.

Clearly, Secretary McDonald’s military service and dedication to our nation should not be ignored.  A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the top 2% of his class of 1975, he honorably served in the military for five years, and completed training as an Army Ranger, as well as Jungle, Arctic, and Desert Warfare training.  VA Secretary McDonald was also a senior parachutist and airborne jumpmaster, and was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, until 1980.”