[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[October 30, 2007]
[Pages 1396-1398]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Nomination of James B. Peake 
To Be Secretary of Veterans Affairs
October 30, 2007

    The President. Thank you all. Please be seated. Welcome. Caring for 
our military veterans is a solemn responsibility of the Federal 
Government. It is our enduring pledge to every man and woman who puts on 
our Nation's uniform. And it is the daily work of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. I am pleased to announce my nomination of an Army 
doctor and combat veteran who will be a strong new leader for this 
Department, Lieutenant General James Peake.
    Public service is a family commitment, and I'm especially grateful 
to Dr. Peake's wife Janice--a fellow Texan--who 
is with us today. I appreciate you supporting Jim once again as he does 
the Nation's work. I'm also proud to welcome Kimberly and Thomas. Thank you all 
for coming. We just met in the Oval Office, and there's no question in 
my mind, they're certainly proud of their dad.
    Dr. Peake grew up in a home where service to country was a way of 
life. His father started out as an enlisted man in the Army and became 
an officer who spent most of his 30-year career in the Medical Service 
Corps. Doctor Peake's mom was an Army nurse. His brother was a naval 
aviator. And as a young man of 18, he set upon his own lifetime of 
service when he arrived at the United States Military Academy.
    After graduating from West Point in 1966, Second Lieutenant James 
Peake was sent to Vietnam with the 101st Airborne. There he served as a 
platoon leader. He led men in combat and earned several medals for his 
courage, including the Silver Star. One of those who knows him best 
described his leadership this way: ``End of a chow line officer--
everyone else first.''
    In Vietnam, he also earned two Purple Hearts. While in the hospital 
recovering from his second wound, he learned that he had been accepted 
to medical school. After completing his medical studies at Cornell 
University, he devoted his career as an Army doctor to improving care 
for our wounded service men and women. Long before the global war on 
terror began, Dr. Peake was changing the way we deliver medical care to 
our troops. As a result of his reforms, many who once might have died on 
the battlefield, now they come home to be productive, and they're having 
fulfilling lives.
    As a medical officer and combat vet who was wounded in action, Dr. 
Peake understands the view from both sides of the hospital bed: the 
doctor's and the patient's. He brought that understanding to many jobs. 
These include command surgeon in the Army hospitals, commanding general 
of the largest medical training facility in the world, and Army Surgeon 
General, where he commanded more than 50,000 medical personnel, oversaw 
16 hospitals across the world, and managed an operating budget of nearly 
$5 billion.
    Since leaving the Army, he is--served as executive vice president 
and chief operating officer of Project HOPE. There he helped one Navy 
hospital ship respond to the victims of the Asian tsunami and another 
that was sent to care for those hit by Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, 
he has served as chief medical director and chief operating officer with 
QTC Management, which provides military veterans with timely medical 
examinations as well as electronic medical record services.
    When confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Peake will bring his unique set of 
skills and experiences to the Department of Veterans Affairs. He will be 
the first physician and the first general to serve as Secretary. He will 
apply his decades of expertise in

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combat medicine and health care management to improve the veterans' 
health system. He will insist on the highest level of care for every 
American veteran.
    One of Dr. Peake's first tasks as Secretary will be to continue to 
implement the recommendations of the Dole-
Shalala Commission on Wounded Warriors. And 
Senator, thank you for joining us. Some of their recommendations are the 
responsibility of the executive branch, and Dr. Peake will be a leader 
in carrying them out. Others require the approval of the United States 
Congress, and that's why this month, I sent a bill to Capitol Hill that 
will make those recommendations the law of the land.
    As Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doctor Peake will be a powerful 
advocate for the prompt enactment and implementation of this vital 
legislation. And he will work tirelessly to eliminate backlogs and 
ensure that our veterans receive the benefits they need to lead lives of 
dignity and purpose.
    In all these ways, Dr. Peake will build on the fine records of 
Secretary Jim Nicholson and Secretary 
Tony Principi. Jim is a West Point man 
who knows the meaning of duty, honor, and country. He's a Vietnam vet 
and a former Ambassador and a good friend. I thank him for his service, 
and I thank his wife Suzanne as well, 
and wish them all the very best.
    Principi is with us. It's good to 
see you, friend, thanks for coming. He's a graduate of one of our 
military academies, although it's not West Point, it was the Naval 
Academy. Like the other two men here 
today, he is a combat veteran of Vietnam. And like the other two, he has 
served our veterans with dignity and integrity. And I appreciate your 
service.
    Jim and Tony can be proud of their record at the Department of Veterans 
Affairs. Under their leadership, Federal spending for veterans increased 
by more than two-thirds. We extended treatment to a million additional 
veterans, including hundreds of thousands returning from Iraq and 
Afghanistan. We expanded grants to help homeless veterans across the 
country. These men have worked well with the VSOs, and I thank the 
leaders for joining us here today. Dr. Peake is going to work well with 
you too.
    And speaking of working well, it's time for the Congress to do its 
job for the veterans. Congress needs to send me a clean VA 
appropriations bill that I can sign into law by Veterans Day.
    I want to thank Acting Secretary Gordon Mansfield for leading the Department these last few weeks. He's done 
a fine job. He's earned the respect of all those who've worked under 
him. He's earned the gratitude of our Nation's vets.
    I appreciate Dr. Peake's willingness to step forward at this 
important time for the Department. He's a man who's been tested in 
battle. He has proved himself as a soldier, as a physician, as a leader, 
and as a good family man. He will be a superb Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, and the United States Senate should promptly confirm him.
    Doctor, I appreciate you stepping up again. On behalf of the United 
States of America, congratulations.

[At this point, Secretary-designate Peake made brief remarks.]

    The President. Yes, sir. Good job. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 1:09 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to former Sen. Robert J. Dole, 
Cochair, President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded 
Warriors; and former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. 
The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also 
included the remarks of Secretary-designate Peake.

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