Email from Secretary of Veterans Affairs

VA Email | May 6, 2014 | Eric K. Shinseki

[MIchaelTArchangel]

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Good Government is a reflection of unselfish people who are committed to serving others; their leadership, dedication and hard work have always been key to our democracy and unique American way of live. Public Service Recognition Week-May 4-10, 2014-gives the American people the opportunity to say Thank You for a job well done and much appreciated.

United in a common pledge to serve the needs of others, public servants touch our lives in a myriad of ways. Federal employees ensure the safety of our homeland, and some put their lives on the line in Afghanistan. They work on behalf of our Nation’s young children, its students, the disadvantaged, and the elderly. They promote American exports, manage our public lands, and explore the far reaches of outer space. They ensure the safety of the food we eat and the water we drink. They safeguard our highways, waterways, airways, and railways. And they protect the innovations of our Nation’s entrepreneurs and technology pioneers.

At the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), over 340,000 civil servants have a sacred mission: to care for our country’s Veterans and families. Today, our military forces and Federal workers serve over three hundred million of their fellow citizens; the impact of their work is impossible to measure. They make a positive, productive, and often profound difference in the lives of every American, every day.

I am grateful for the opportunity to thank VA employees for all that you do on behalf of the courageous men and women, who served our Nation in uniform.

· 8.9 million of whom are enrolled for our world-class health care;

· 4.3 million Veterans and Survivors who receive compensation and pensions;

· Over 120,000 who receive final honors in one of our 131 cemeteries;

· Two million Veterans with active home loans, and more than 950 who obtain a VA housing loan each day; and

· Over 1.16 million Veterans and family members who have taken advantage of education and training opportunities in the Post-9/11 GI Bill since its inception.

Your commitment and compassion change lives for the better. Another public servant, President John Kennedy, said it best: “Let the public service be a proud and lively career. And let every man and woman who works in any area of the national government . . . be able to say with pride and with honor in future years: “I served the United States government in that hour of our nation’s need.”

Thank you for all that you have done, and continue to do so, in service to our country.

Eric K. Shinseki

[vette6387]

Shitstinki needs to be gone yesterday! He was also worthless as a “military leader.”

[OldNavyVet]

Good Government is a reflection of unselfish people who are committed to serving others; their leadership, dedication and hard work have always been key to our democracy and ...

Our nation is not a democracy, it's a republic.

Our pledge of Allegiance is "... to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands."