In 2015 President Obama presented the Medal of Honor to an American Soldier —Captain Florent Groberg which marked only the tenth time a living service member has received our Nation’s highest valor award for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. Seven more were posthumously awarded the medal. During the ceremony, President Obama addressed the specifics of […]

There is no skill more important than leadership, and honing it is critical when it comes to supporting our veterans as they transition back into civilian life. I’ve always considered leadership training programs essential: As the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and, before that, the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble, I […]

The Diane J. and Robert A. McDonald Family Foundation was recently recognized by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) at their Dinner of Gratitude on September 27, 2021 for being a “champion for veterans and DAV’s mission.”  The McDonald family, led by past Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Robert A. McDonald, helped raise money […]

When Captain Florence “Flo” Groberg was awarded the Medal of Honor in November 2015 for his heroic actions in Afghanistan, I was privileged to attend the White House ceremony as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. An Airborne Ranger qualified infantry officer, Flo tackled a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, causing a second suicide bomber to detonate his […]

On the last Monday of May, we pay tribute and acknowledge the sacrifices of courageous men and women who placed the interests of others above their own. In service to our Nation at Guadalcanal and Bastogne, the Chosin Reservoir and Pusan, at Khe Sanh, on the DMZ, in Fallujah and Kabul, and at hundreds of […]

In the year after I left as secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in late 2016, the nation lost an average of 17 veterans to suicide each day. Despite the tireless work of community, health care and veteran partners and the bipartisan commitment of policymakers, this number has remained stubbornly consistent. According […]

Below is a photo gallery and video courtesy of The German Marshall Fund of the citizen-led effort in the building of Veteran’s services in Ukraine:

Thursday morning Ray Toenniessen, Associate Vice President of IVMF, picked me up and took me to the new National Veterans Resource Center, a new building on the Syracuse campus that will house IVMF and its resources.  It is a beautiful new building, funded primarily by a donation by Dan D’Aniello, Co-Founder of Carlyle and Chair […]

Bob McDonald was recently interviewed by UATV during his visit to Ukraine to talk more about how the year-old The Ministry for Veterans Affairs can model itself after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. McDonald who is the former CEO of Procter & Gamble, and, the eighth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs shared insight […]

Last week participants gathered for an opening session at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, where they heard from President George W. Bush, General Peter Pace, former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald, and former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, among others. Participants were selected after a rigorous application and review […]