Jay Rockefeller: “I'm delighted to join the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Mr. Specter, in bringing before the Senate the…”

“I'm delighted to join the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Mr. Specter, in bringing before the Senate the nomination of Togo D. West, Jr., to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs and urging his confirmation. Mr. President, Togo West has a long history of serving his country and America's service members. He began his career as an Army lawyer from 1969 to 1973, first as part of the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps and later with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He left the Army in 1973, but never strayed far from public service. In 1975, he served in the Department of Justice as Associate Deputy Attorney General. In 1977, he was appointed to serve as the Department of the Navy's General Counsel. From there, he also served as the Special Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, and in 1980 he was appointed General Counsel of the Department of Defense. Most recently, Togo West served our country as Secretary of the Army, a position he held beginning in 1993, until President Clinton appointed him Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs on January 2, 1998.”