THE DAILY FED
Gober to Head VA
Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel W. Gober will be nominated to officially lead the department, President Clinton announced last week.
Gober, a native of Arkansas and longtime friend of the president, has been the department's deputy Secretary for more than four years. He has served as acting VA chief since the July 1 resignation of Jesse Brown.
During his tenure at the VA, Gober has pressed for the expansion of benefits for veterans who were prisoners of war, for those exposed to Agent Orange, radiation and mustard gas, and for Persian Gulf War veterans suffering from unexplained illnesses.
Gober, 60, whose 20-year-military career included service in the Army and Marines, was director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs when Clinton was governor. If confirmed by the Senate, he would become the third former Arkansas state official named to the Clinton Cabinet.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Gober said he wants to continue to be an advocate for veterans.
"I hope to take what Jesse and I have done over the past four and a half years and expand on it," he said.
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