Secretary McDonald

It is an extraordinary place of honor for those who have served in our Armed Forces. The team of professionals at our national cemeteries ensures a legacy of remembrance for the loved ones of grieving families. At every VA cemetery I visit, I am humbled by their willingness to serve our fallen heroes.

I’m deeply honored to join all of you in such a dignified, sacred space for such an important ceremony.

It’s truly inspiring to see such a diverse group of leaders and world-class innovators so committed to serving those who have “borne the battle” for all of us—our Nation’s Veterans. And they are why we’re transforming VA—the entire Department, not just incremental changes to parts of it.

Serving Veterans is a collaborative endeavor. It takes the strong support of Congress. It takes the hard work and dedication of Veterans Service Organizations. And it takes coordinated efforts from the federal to the grass-roots level.

Although you have suffered physical setbacks, your presence here this week makes clear that you haven’t given up after being disabled as a result of military service. You still live by the lessons learned in uniform.

At VA, we respect tribal governments, and we are grateful for the strong government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian Tribes.

At VA, we respect tribal governments, and we are grateful for the strong government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian Tribes.

VA is continuing to expand and improve its Veterans Crisis Line, which has answered nearly 2 million calls since its launch in 2007. Nearly a quarter of those calls were answered in just last fiscal year—490,000. That gives you an idea how much we’ve ramped up our efforts.

VA is continuing to expand and improve its Veterans Crisis Line, which has answered nearly 2 million calls since its launch in 2007. Nearly a quarter of those calls were answered in just last fiscal year—490,000. That gives you an idea how much we’ve ramped up our efforts.

MyVA is about fulfilling the Nation’s obligation to those who have served and ... our vision for VA to become the Number One customer-service agency in the Government. We have a lot of work to do to reach that goal, but we are making progress.

MyVA is about fulfilling the Nation’s obligation to those who have served and ... our vision for VA to become the Number One customer-service agency in the Government. We have a lot of work to do to reach that goal, but we are making progress.