James Peake

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James Benjamin Peake
6th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office  December 20, 2007
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Jim Nicholson
Born	June 18, 1944 Saint Louis, Missouri
Profession	Soldier

LTG (ret) James Benjamin Peake, MD (born June 18, 1944), is the current United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 2004, he retired from a 42-year U.S. Army career as the 40th Surgeon General of the United States Army. His selection as VA secretary was announced on October 30, 2007. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 14, 2007^[1] and sworn in at VA headquarters by Vice President Dick Cheney on December 20.^[2]

[edit] Biography

Peake was born in Saint Louis, Missouri. He retired from the Army in 2004, as a Lieutenant General. He served for four years as the United States Army Surgeon General. He also served as commander of several Army medical units. Previous key assignments include Commander, U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School and Installation Commander, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Commanding General, Madigan Army Medical Center/Northwest Health Service Support Activity, Tacoma, Washington; Commanding General, 44th Medical Brigade/Corps Surgeon, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Deputy Director, Professional Services/Chief, Consultant, Office of the Surgeon General, Falls Church, Virginia; Commander, 18th Medical Command and 121st Evacuation Hospital/Command Surgeon, Seoul, Korea; Deputy Commander for Clinical Services, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii; Assistant Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Staff General Surgeon/Chief, General Surgery Clinic, DeWitt Army Hospital, Fort Belvoir, Va.; and General Surgery Resident, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Prior to becoming Secretary of Veterans Affairs, he was employed by QTC Management Inc., as the company's chief medical director and chief operating officer. This company provides occupational health, injury and disability examination services, which are outsourced to it by the U.S. Government. It helps understand health complaints

Peake is a 1966 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Awards and decorations that Lt. Gen. Peake has received include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with three oak leaf clusters), Bronze Star with "V" device (with one oak leaf cluster), Purple Heart (with one oak leaf cluster), Meritorious Service Medal] (with two oak leaf clusters), Air Medal, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with "V" device (with one oak leaf cluster), Humanitarian Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with one oak leaf cluster), Senior Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Ranger Tab, Combat Medic Badge and Army Staff Identification Badge. After Vietnam, he attended Cornell University's Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also a graduate of the United States Army War College, in 1988.^[3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Ex-Army Doctor, Vietnam Vet Nominated as VA Secretary

Preceded by Lt. Gen. Ronald R. Blanck	Surgeon General of the United States Army September 22, 2000–July 8, 2004	Succeeded by Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley
Preceded by Jim Nicholson	United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Served Under: George W. Bush 2007 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Margaret Spellings	United States order of precedence as of 2007	Succeeded by Michael Chertoff
Preceded by Margaret Spellings	United States Presidential Line of Succession 15th in line	Succeeded by Michael Chertoff

v • d • e Current members of the United States Cabinet Bodman · Boltenc · Bushc · Chao · Cheneyc · Chertoff · Gates · Gutierrez · Johnsonc · Kempthorne · Leavitt · Mukasey · Paulson · Peake · Peters · Preston · Nusslec · Rice · Schafer · Schwabc · Spellings · Waltersc (c) cabinet-level only, (a) acting

v • d • e United States Secretaries of Veterans Affairs Derwinski • Brown • West • Gober (acting) • Principi • Nicholson • Peake

v • d • e Cabinet of President George W. Bush (2001 – 2009) Secretary of State Colin Powell (2001 – 2005) • Condoleezza Rice (2005 – present) Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill (2001 – 2002) • John Snow (2002 – 2006) • Henry Paulson (2006 – present) Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (2001 – 2006) • Robert Gates (2006 – present) Attorney General John Ashcroft (2001 – 2005) • Alberto Gonzales (2005 – 2007) • Michael Mukasey (2007 – present) Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton (2001 – 2006) • Dirk Kempthorne (2006 – present) Secretary of the Agriculture Ann Veneman (2001 – 2005) • Mike Johanns (2005 – 2007) • Ed Schafer (2008 – present) Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans (2001 – 2005) • Carlos Gutierrez (2005 – present) Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao (2001 – present) Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson (2001 – 2005) • Mike Leavitt (2005 – present) Secretary of Education Rod Paige (2001 – 2005) • Margaret Spellings (2005 – Present) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez (2001 – 2003) • Alphonso Jackson (2003 – 2008) • Steve Preston (2008 – present) Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta (2001 – 2006) • Mary Peters (2006 – present) Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham (2001 – 2005) • Samuel Bodman (2005 – present) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi (2001 – 2005) • Jim Nicholson (2005 – 2007) • James Peake (2007 – present) Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (2003 – 2005) • Michael Chertoff (2005 – present) Chief of Staff Andrew Card (2001 – 2006) • Joshua Bolten (2006 – present) Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Christine Todd Whitman (2001 – 2003) • Mike Leavitt (2003 – 2005) • Stephen Johnson (2005 – present) Trade Representative Robert Zoellick (2001 – 2005) • Rob Portman (2005 – 2006) • Susan Schwab (2006 - present)