New Va Chief

[dannydad]

fox news just reported that gen eric k shinseki will be appt as VA chief.do we know any thing about him????yes, he was fired by the whitehouse a few years back. BIG Question is he going to suport the troops???????

[SouthernBelle]

I kind of think he'll be alright. The only person I think would be perfect would be Jim Strickland, and that ain't gonna happen! SO, I think he'll be okay. I mean, he implemented some kind of sideways programs (hello, black beret) but he also did a LOT of good. Gubmint wanted to reduce the size of the military, he said NO. He isn't afraid to speak his mind, when he needs to. He won't be talking out of the side of his head like previous Secretaries. He doesn't talk to hear himself talk; if he has something to say, he says it, if he doesn't have anything worth it to say, he says nothing. I have to say, I've met him, and he's a very nice man, he's quiet, and very observant. He is what I EXPECT an officer to behave like. He doesn't take himself too seriously, his rank wasn't what defined him, his actions did. He took care of his troops, and I hope he would take care of the Veterans the same way. I'm just saying, I think he's an okay choice because he isn't afraid to speak up when he needs to, and he's very honorable. He always wants to do the right thing, and nowadays, that's very unusual, and even more unusual in politics. ANYWAYS, I think he'd be alright.

[rentalguy1]

I will give him every opportunity as well, mostly because I have no choice. I also agree that as a commander of troops, he was excellent. The DVA is not commanding troops, however. Determining the livelihood of veterans is far different than leading troops as well. As to his thoughts and attitude towards disabled veterans, I have no crystal ball. All I know is that he was severely injured, twice, as a very young officer in RVN. He held firm to the old military adage "suck it up and drive on" to become a full general. I am fearful that he will carry that attitude over to the DVA and urge the rest of us to suck it as well. That is fine, except that many of us have sucked it up for decades, and I for one, no longer have the mental capacity to suck it up.

I also disagree with Principi. I have read too many BVA and CAVC cases that occured during his tenure.

[jbasser]

In reality we all will just have to wait and see. I hope he can manuver this rolling train wreck called the VA. I do agree with pete on Principi, I believe his hands were tied by the man.

J

[Quint7]

"Suck it up"!

John999 you hit the nail on the head. I have tried explaining to VA a number of times that "the reason that there aren't 50 visits to sickbay for this problem in my folder is because I was told to suck it up Marine!"

If the VA had more vets working there they might be more understanding of the military's attitude taken that "seeking health care is actually malingering". Ya know the 3 or 4 most outspoken members of my unit when it came to Marines going to sick call were the 3 or 4 that managed to get sent back to the states before we invaded Kuwait. Hmmmmmm.

I'll give the new guy the benefit of the doubt but unless there is wholesale change in the VA structure (eliminate bonus money for claims closed or whatever that I have read about on here) there will be no change in the claims process. Maybe the healthcare will get better, but not the comp and pension part. Oh.... and man did that guy have it right when he said we needed more troops to secure Iraq post conflict. Someone should take Rumsfeld and drop him in downtown Iraq with a kevlar, a flak jacket and a 9mm....

[MikeR]

I stand by what I said. I think he will be honest, even if he has to deliver the bad news. Big Gov't Agencies have a life of their own, and sometimes even the leaders have no idea how bad things are going. Turning the VA around is going to require small turns so that it does not capsize.

[john999]

The new guy at the VA was a professional soldier. That means he takes orders. He will do what he is ordered to do. If Obama tells him to make a radical change then he will do it. If Obama tells him to just walk through it then he will do that. He had his chance to stand up and tell the Joint Chiefs that the war in Iraq was a misguided fiasco, and like a "good soldier" he kept his mouth shut. He was fired anyway. These guys serve at the pleasure of the President. They are not independent thinkers.