From the Colonial era through today, America has cared for its veterans - the men and women who won and have maintained the nation's freedom.  This rich history of caring can be viewed as a single 36-page booklet or as a series of Web pages by clicking on the links below. VA History in Brief Booklet (36-page PDF, 1.44 MB PDF )
Chapter 1	Colonial era though the Civil War
Chapter 2	World War I era
Chapter 3	World War I bonus march
Chapter 4	Veterans Administration established, World War II, GI Bill
Chapter 5	Post World War II through the Korean War
Chapter 6	Vietnam War era, Agent Orange
Chapter 7	Post-Vietnam era
Chapter 8	VA becomes a Cabinet-level department; Persian Gulf War
Chapter 9	Women veterans; health care reform
Chapter 10	A look at today's VA

Timeline of significant events
Executive Order 5398 establishes the Veterans Administration, July 21, 1930
1930 to 1979
1980 to 2004

EXECUTIVE ORDER 5398
CONSOLIDATION AND COORDINATION OF GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES AFFECTING VETERANS

WHEREAS section 1 of the act of Congress entitled “An Act to authorize the President to consolidate and coordinate governmental activities affecting war veterans,” approved July 3, 1930, provides:

“(a) That the President is authorized, by Executive order, to consolidate and coordinate any hospitals and executive and administrative bureaus, agencies, or offices, especially created for or concerned in the administration of the laws relating to the relief and other benefits provided by law for former members of the Military and Naval Establishments of the United States, including the Bureau of Pensions, the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, and the United States Veterans’ Bureau, into an establishment to be known as the Veterans’ Administration, and to transfer the duties, powers, and the functions now vested by law in the hospitals, bureaus, agencies, or offices so consolidated and coordinated including the personnel thereof, and the whole or any part of the records and public property belonging thereto to the Veterans Administration.

“(b) Under the direction of the President the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs shall have the power, by order or regulation, to consolidate, eliminate, or redistribute the functions of the bureaus, agencies, offices, or activities in the Veterans’ Administration and to create new ones therein, and, by rules and regulations not inconsistent with law, shall fix the functions thereof and the duties and powers of their respective executive heads.”

NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me by said law, the United States Veterans’ Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers are hereby consolidated and coordinated into an establishment to be known as the Veterans’ Administration, and duties, powers, and functions vested by law in the United States Veterans’ Bureau, the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, and in the Bureau of Pensions, and the personnel of the United States Veterans’ Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, and the records and papers pertaining to the work thereof, and the public property belonging thereto, are hereby transferred to the Veterans’ Administration.

THE WHITE HOUSE
HERBERT HOOVER
JULY 21, 1930 

Back to top of page

PDF Documents - To read PDF documents, you need a PDF viewer.  Links to viewer software can be found here.