James Peake

Infobox US Cabinet official
name = James Benjamin Peake

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order = 6th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
term_start = December 20, 2007
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president = George W. Bush
primeminister =
predecessor = Jim Nicholson
successor =
birth_date = June 18, 1944
birth_place = Saint Louis, Missouri
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profession = Soldier, Physician
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Lieutenant General (ret) James Benjamin Peake (born June 18, 1944), is the current United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 2004, he retired from a 42-year United States 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 [ [http://www1.va.gov/opa/bios/biography.asp?id=71 VA Official Biography - The Honorable James B. Peake] . Accessed 21 December 2007] and sworn in at VA headquarters by Vice President Dick Cheney on December 20. [UPI. [http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/12/20/peake_sworn_in_as_va_secretary/3728/ Peake sworn in as VA secretary] , Dec 20, 2007. Accessed 21 Dec 2007.]

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. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071030/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_veterans_affairs Bush Nominates New Veterans Secretary] , by Deb Reichman, Associated Press, 10/30/07 ]

ee also

References

External links

* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/30/AR2007103000637.html?hpid=sec-politics Ex-Army Doctor, Vietnam Vet Nominated as VA Secretary]

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Surgeon General of the United States Army
before=Lt. Gen. Ronald R. Blanck
years=September 22, 2000–July 8, 2004
after=Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley
U.S. Secretary box
before= Jim Nicholson
after= Incumbent
start= 2007
president= George W. Bush
department= Secretary of Veterans Affairssuccession box
title=United States Presidential Line of Succession
before=Margaret Spellings
after=Michael Chertoff
years=15th in line