Lunch with VA Secretary Shinseki
Apr 24 2009
With the attention the VA has garnered because of the backlog of claims and its reputation of being a bureaucratic black hole, the department certainly has its work cut out for it – and not just within the PR realm. When you think of the challenges that lay ahead in terms of: seamless transitions, greater cooperation between the VA and the DoD and the newer challenge of administering the post 9-11 GI Bill, you have to wonder who President Obama could pick that would be qualified to take on this mixed bag of issues. Who could he entrust with caring for the nation’s veterans? Who would understand the importance of caring for those who paid a premium with service and the need to live up to the VA’s promise, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.”
Today, MOAA was privileged to host the man chosen to head the Veteran’s Administration – former Army Chief of Staff, General Eric Shinseki (USA, Ret.). As General Shinseki lay out the realities, challenges and goals for the Department, it became quickly apparent to the people packed in the room that in this Secretary, veterans have found a champion. He speaks of the need to advocate on behalf of our veterans and offers very real solutions for breaking through the bureaucratic system currently in place. As a career soldier, he understands the challenges faced by veterans……they’ve faced down the Taliban and taken on Fallujah, but are stymied by the bureaucracy of the VA system. He knows that the system is broken, but isn’t deterred. Listening to him speak, you get the impression that it is his passion for taking care of veterans and their families that fuels him.
When asked how soon we could see changes at the VA, he responded that while he has no hard and fast timeline, he understands that speed is of the essense. While he doesn’t know what fast is in this situation, he prescribes to Mario Andretti’s notion that, “If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.”
