WASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert M. " Mike" Walker was confirmed today by the Senate as Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve Americas veterans and would like to thank the President for his confidence in nominating me to be the nation's first Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs," said Walker.
Walker has been Acting Under Secretary since December 1999. As Under Secretary, Walker is responsible for the operation and maintenance of 119 VA national cemeteries and other memorial-related programs for veterans and eligible family members.
VA provides headstones and markers for most veterans, administers a federal grants program to help states set up veterans cemeteries, and issues Presidential Memorial Certificates to the families of honorably discharged deceased veterans.
Walker previously served as deputy director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, D. C. FEMA is an independent agency within the executive branch that oversees efforts to help communities during natural disasters and other emergencies.
Walker joined the Clinton-Gore Administration in March 1994. He has served as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Logistics, and Environment; Army Acquisition Executive; and, Under Secretary of the Army. He was Acting Secretary of the Army during the first six months of 1998.
For 25 years, Walker worked in various staff positions on Capitol Hill. He was staff director of the Subcommittee on Military Construction of the Senate Appropriations Committee and an assistant to the late Congressman Joe L. Elvins (Tenn.) and former Senator Jim Sasser (Tenn.).
Walker is a former enlisted soldier in the Tennessee and District of Columbia Army National Guards. He is a native of Tennessee. Walker and his wife, the former Romy Pettersen, live in Charles Town, West Virginia.
Information on VA burial benefits is available from national cemetery offices and VA regional offices at 1-800-827-1000 or visit the VA web sites on the Internet at http://www.va.gov or http://www.cem.va.gov.
