VA Secretary Shinseki Honored for Patriotic Service

Sons of American Revolution to Honor Achievements

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki was awarded the Gold Good Citizenship Medal by the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) during an honors dinner Jan. 9 at the Mount Vernon Inn.  The gala was hosted by the George Washington Chapter of the SAR.

“Serving as Secretary of VA is a chance for me to give back to those on whose shoulders I stood – those of our greatest generations who served in World War II and Korea, those with whom I went to war in Vietnam, and those young people I sent to war as Army Chief of Staff,” Secretary Shinseki said. “Caring for those who have ‘borne the battle’ is both an honor and a privilege.

“At VA, we advocate for Veterans – it is our overarching philosophy and, in time, it will become our culture,” he added.

Secretary Shinseki’s remarks came amid the department’s massive payout of educational benefits to Veterans under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.  To date, more than 162,000 beneficiaries have received payments and over $1.3 billion dollars have been paid out.  That program, along with plans to expand health benefits to an addition quarter-million Veterans previously not eligible, are part of Secretary Shinseki’s transformation of the VA into a more people-centric and results-driven organization.

The George Washington chapter, based in Alexandria, is the largest SAR unit in Virginia.  Past recipients of the Gold Good Citizenship Medal include Presidents Truman, Ford and Carter.

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