Hagel's actions at the VA 30 years ago, together with his experience as a combat-wounded Army sergeant in Vietnam, would give him unusual credibility at the Pentagon, according to veterans' advocates, something they say could help him tackle some of the military's biggest problems, including military suicide and long-standing turf battles between two of Washington's largest bureaucracies: the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans A ...

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Hagel's actions at the VA 30 years ago, together with his experience as a combat-wounded Army sergeant in Vietnam, would give him unusual credibility at the Pentagon, according to veterans' advocates, something they say could help him tackle some of the military's biggest problems, including military suicide and long-standing turf battles between two of Washington's largest bureaucracies: the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. "There's widespread support across the veteran community for Chuck Hagel," said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "In many ways, he's a grunt, which is something I say as a positive thing."

Authors Website: http://sheilastuff.blogspot.com

Authors Bio:

Sheila Samples is an Oklahoma writer and a former civilian US Army Public Information Officer. She is a Managing Editor for OpEd News, and a regular contributor for a variety of Internet sites.