VA Secretary on Delegation with Congressional Leaders
SOMEWHERE IN IRAQ (August 16, 2006) – Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson today praised the military for its treatment of service members during a tour of combat medical facilities in Iraq.
“Our service members in the combat theater receive the best care in the world, and the VA will continue to provide world class care when they return home and take off their uniform,” Nicholson said.
The Secretary toured front-line medical facilities in Iraq to observe firsthand the top-notch care service members receive as they proceed seamlessly from the combat theater, through military treatment facilities in Europe, and finally to VA medical centers in the United States.
“I am impressed by the bravery, dedication and patriotism of the men and women I’ve met in Iraq who are advancing the cause of freedom and democracy, and by the compassion and skill of the care-givers treating them,’’ Nicholson added.
Nicholson visited U.S. medical facilities in Iraq with Reps. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, John Boozman (R-Ark.) and John Salazar (D-Colo.).
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Note to Editors: Secretary Nicholson will be available for brief telephone interviews August 16 between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time. To schedule an interview, contact VA’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 273-6000.
