September 16, 2011 - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki on Friday (Sept. 16) recalled his own hospitalization from injuries he received as a Vietnam veteran. He was sitting in the Fisher House, Palo Alto VA's lodging for families of veterans on long hospital stays.He had just participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Defenders Lodge, a $12.5 million "home away from home" for veterans who must travel to the VA Palo Alto Health Care System to receive treatment.
Shinseki, a general who received two Purple Hearts for his valor and injuries, said having family members near makes all the difference in helping wounded veterans heal.
But he did not have that luxury when he was hospitalized, he said.
"I remember having to lay in a hospital bed and my wife had to fly in and I counted the number of days when she could visit," he said, adding that they could not afford for long hotel stays.
At a ceremony with a full color guard and an audience of nearly 200 veterans, former POWs, their families, officials and dignitaries, Shinseki presided over the groundbreaking and honoring of POWs. Other speakers who honored the veterans included U.S. Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) and Mike Honda (D-San Jose/Silicon Valley). read more>>>
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