Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald apologized Tuesday for erroneously telling a homeless veteran who had served in the special forces that he also had been a part of the elite military operatives.
“In an attempt to connect with that veteran and make him feel comfortable, I incorrectly stated that I, too, had been in special forces” McDonald said at a press conference outside the Department of Veterans Affairs. “That was wrong and I have no excuse.”
McDonald made the remark last month while visiting Los Angeles during a VA effort to locate and help homeless veterans. With a CBS-TV news crew in tow, he got into an exchange with a homeless veteran who told the secretary that he had been a member of the special forces. The exchange was broadcast in a Jan. 30 CBS News story.
The VA secretary, who has been on the job only since last July, emphasized that integrity and character “is part of who I am,” and he said he has never claimed to be in the special forces before.
McDonald graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and has received leadership awards for his work with and outside the armed forces.
President Barack Obama named McDonald to take over the agency in the wake of a nationwide scandal over the falsification of records about prolonged wait times for veterans seeking help from the VA.
An internal affairs audit last June showed that 57,000 veterans were waiting more than 90 days for medical care; an additional 64,000 requested medical care but did not make it onto a waiting list.
The fallout led to the resignation of McDonald’s predecessor, retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki.
McDonald’s embellishment of his military record comes on the heels of another high-profile personality’s exaggeration of accomplishment – NBC News anchorman Brian Williams. The network placed Williams on leave after several instances of his overstatements and falsehoods came to light.
But the White House quickly lined up behind the VA secretary.
Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that McDonald “is somebody who understands firsthand the sacrifice that our men and women in uniform make on a regular basis. He’s also somebody who understands firsthand about why what he said about his service was wrong and that certainly is why it was appropriate for him to apologize.”
“But there is no reason to think that the mistake that he made should interfere with his ability to continue to lead the fight for our veterans,” Earnest said.
Prior to the VA, McDonald served as the chairman, president and CEO of Procter & Gamble Co., a multinational consumer goods company that also works on social initiatives, such as safe drinking water for children and infant vaccines.
“In my 61 years, integrity has been one of the foundations of my character,” McDonald said. “The reason I was a Boy Scout, the reason I went to West Point . . . the reason I’m here. The reason I want to be here, here for veterans.”
McDonald’s five years of military service was spent primarily with the 82nd Airborne Division during the late 1970s. He received the Meritorious Service Medal upon leaving service. He never served with special operations forces, which include the Army’s Rangers, Delta Force and Green Berets, and the Navy’s SEALs.
“The secretary gave an appropriate apology following his misstatement, which demonstrates his commitment to accountability,” Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida, the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said in a statement. “I am confident that his statement was not intended to mislead.”
American Legion National Commander Michael Helm expressed disappointment with McDonald in a statement regarding the false special forces claim. Although Helm acknowledged McDonald’s previous Army service as reputable, he said “a lie is a lie.”
“I can’t believe people do this,” Helm said. “What a disappointment from the leader of a department whose number one issue right now is the restoration of trust. He should be held to a higher standard. The secretary has apologized, as he certainly should. We hope that he can restore the trust that he has lost.”
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