VA Secretary Misrepresented Service Record

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald has apologized for an inaccurate off-the-cuff remark about his service record. CBS News reported that when McDonald learned a homeless veteran had served with the Special Forces, he said he also had been a Green Beret. In fact, McDonald spent his Army career with the 82nd Airborne Division and never was in a Special Forces unit. He did earn a Ranger tab, but never served in a Ranger unit. McDonald has since apologized for the transgression. “What I said was wrong,” he said. McDonald’s comments drew particularly acute scrutiny in the aftermath of the suspension of NBC News anchor Brian Williams, who falsely stated he was on an aircraft that was hit by enemy fire in Iraq.