[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 51 (Monday, December 24, 2007)]
[Pages 1626-1628]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony for James B. Peake as Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs

December 20, 2007

    The President. Good morning. Thanks for the warm welcome to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. I am proud to introduce your new 
Secretary, Lieutenant General James Peake. And I am pleased to be joined 
by his wife, Janice, and daughter Kimberly, and her husband, Mack. I 
know they're proud of what Jim has accomplished during his career, and I 
thank them for supporting him in his work ahead.
    I thank the Vice President for joining me today. We had a long ride 
over here, Jim. [Laughter] Plenty of time to visit. [Laughter] I want to 
thank the Secretary for joining us--Secretary of Defense Bob Gates; 
honored you're here, sir. Appreciate Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor; 
Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield--I'm going to say something about you 
here in a minute. I appreciate Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the 
U.S. Coast Guard, for joining us. Thanks for coming, Admiral; General 
Dick Cody, Vice Chief

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of Staff of the United States Army. I appreciate all those who wear the 
uniform who have joined us today as well.
    I want to thank Arlen Specter, United States Senator, for joining 
us. Senator, thanks for coming. And my Congressman, the Congressman from 
central Texas, Congressman Chet Edwards, chairman of the Military 
Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee; proud 
you're here.
    I want to thank the members of veterans service organizations who 
are with us today.
    Audience member. Hoorah! [Laughter]
    The President. Looking forward to working with you. [Laughter] And 
behave yourself. [Laughter]
    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has one of the most important jobs 
in our Government. The Secretary leads a Department of more than 240,000 
employees, and I want to thank every one of them for serving our 
country; appreciate your hard work. The Secretary is charged with a 
solemn responsibility, to ensure our Nation's veterans receive the care 
and the benefits they deserve.
    Dr. Jim Peake has the skills and experience to carry out this 
mission. He is both the first physician and the first general to lead 
this Department. His 36-year medical career has taken him to military 
bases across the world. And during the opening years of the war on 
terror, he directed the Army Medical Department as Army Surgeon General. 
In that position, he led more than 55,000 medical personnel and managed 
an operating budget of nearly $5 billion. Throughout his long career, 
Dr. Peake has worked to improve the way we deliver medical care to our 
troops. And thanks to his efforts, many who once might have died on the 
battlefield have returned home to live lives of hope and promise.
    We see this hope and promise in the story of Dr. Peake's own life. 
Dr. Peake's first stay at a military hospital came years before he 
entered his--earned his medical degree at Cornell. It came as a wounded 
patient during the Vietnam war. This West Point graduate received 
several medals for his valor, including the Silver Star; he earned a 
reputation for honor and selflessness.
    Dr. Peake learned those values from his loving parents who taught 
him the meaning of service. His mother was an Army nurse. His father was 
an Army officer, who spent most of his 30-year career in the Medical 
Service Corps. And I know they both would be proud to see their oldest 
son, Jim, become the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
    Dr. Peake follows in the footsteps of another fine public servant 
and Vietnam combat veteran, Secretary Jim Nicholson. Throughout his 
career, Jim Nicholson has served our Nation with honor and integrity--as 
an Army Ranger, an ambassador, and as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
Secretary Nicholson built on the fine record of his predecessor, Tony 
Principi--Mr. Secretary, glad you're here today--and he leaves an 
impressive legacy of his own. Under his leadership, this Department has 
worked to meet the needs of new veterans returning home from Afghanistan 
and Iraq. Secretary Nicholson also launched an effort to modernize the 
Department's information technology systems, so we can better protect 
patients' personal information. I want to thank Jim for his work on 
behalf of our Nation's veterans, and I wish him and his wife Suzanne all 
the very best.
    I also want to thank Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield. He served as 
the Acting Secretary for Veterans Affairs since October. Gordon is a 
retired Army officer who has dedicated much of his career to serving his 
fellow veterans. I've benefited from Gordon's wisdom and counsel, and he 
did a terrific job as Acting Secretary during this time of transition.
    Dr. Peake takes office at a critical moment in the history of this 
Department. Our Nation is at war, and many new veterans are leaving the 
battlefield and entering the VA system. This system provides our 
veterans with the finest care, but sometimes the bureaucracy can be 
difficult. To address these problems, our administration, along with the 
Secretary's leadership, is implementing recommendations of the Dole-
Shalala Commission on Wounded Warriors. In other words, we're not going 
to tolerate bureaucratic delays. We want the very best for our veterans. 
Some of the Commission's recommendations require the approval of 
Congress--and Congressman and Senator, we're looking forward to working 
with you on

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those. I've sent legislation to Congress to carry out these additional 
recommendations, and Dr. Peake is going to work with Members from both 
sides of the aisle to get me a good bill that I can sign into law.
    Our Nation has no higher calling than to provide for those who have 
borne the cost of battle, and we will honor our responsibilities. I am 
confident in the future of this Department because I have seen firsthand 
the dedication and character of the men and women who work here. And I 
am confident that you will have a worthy and strong leader in our new 
Secretary.
    Congratulations, Jim. I appreciate your willingness to serve. And 
now I ask the Vice President to administer the oath.

Note: The President spoke at 11:24 a.m. at the Department of Veterans 
Affairs. In his remarks, he referred to former Senator Bob Dole and 
former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala, 
Cochairs, President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded 
Warriors. The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary 
also included the remarks of Secretary Peake.