Hershel Gober Explained

Hershel Gober
Office:United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
President:Bill Clinton
Term Start:July 25, 2000
Term End:January 20, 2001
Predecessor:Togo West
Successor:Anthony Principi
President1:Bill Clinton
Term Start1:July 1, 1997
Term End1:January 2, 1998
Predecessor1:Jesse Brown
Successor1:Togo West
Office2:United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
President2:Bill Clinton
Term Start2:February 4, 1993
Term End2:August 10, 2000
Predecessor2:Anthony Principi
Successor2:Leo Mackay
Office3:Director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs
Governor3:Bill Clinton
Jim Tucker
Term Start3:January 4, 1988
Term End3:February 4, 1993
Predecessor3:Grady Brown
Successor3:Nick Bacon
Birth Name:Hershel Wayne Gober
Birth Date:21 December 1936
Party:Democratic
Education:Alaska Pacific University (BA)
Allegiance:United States of America
Branch:
Battles:Vietnam War
Rank:Major (USMC)
Mawards:Purple Heart
Bronze Star

Hershel Wayne Gober (born December 21, 1936[1]) is a former government official and Vietnam War veteran. He served as acting United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) on two occasions during the administration of Bill Clinton: first from July 1, 1997,[2] until January 2, 1998,[3] between the resignation of Secretary Jesse Brown and the appointment of Togo D. West Jr. as acting secretary, and the second time from July 25, 2000,[4] until January 20, 2001,[1] after the resignation of Secretary West; this time Gober served in the post until the end of the Clinton presidency.

He started out in the VA as deputy secretary, serving from February 4, 1993,[4] until August 10, 2000.[5] Gober was also briefly secretary-designate, when Clinton named him on July 31, 1997,[6] to replace Jesse Brown. However, the nomination was withdrawn before Senate action on October 27 the same year[6] because of fears that nomination hearings for Gober would become heated due to questions about a 1993 claim of sexual misconduct made against him;[7] he also wished to stay as Deputy Secretary.[8]

During his tenure Gober, as a close and longtime aide, played an important role in the Clinton-era VA.[2] He headed a delegation that traveled to Vietnam to seek the fullest possible accounting of missing veterans.[9] He was also active in improving health care and expanding clinics for veterans.[9]

Before serving in the VA, Gober was director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs from January 4, 1988,[1] to February 4, 1993,[1] during Clinton's tenure as governor.[10]

Military service

Gober served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1959. He served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1978, retiring as a Major.

Service in Vietnam

Gober served two tours in Vietnam.[4] In addition to his combat duties, at one point he worked with an American-Vietnamese team that produced songs to help sway Vietnamese public opinion in favor of the American and South Vietnamese causes and to encourage the leadership in Washington to favor reaching the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people. Later, in 1969, he was wounded while serving as a company commander.[11]

Music

In 1970, Gober released a 45 rpm single, "Picture of a Man", which received some airplay on popular music radio stations.[12]

Gober had at least five single releases and one album as a recording artist; the first two were as Hershel Almond on Ace and Challenge in 1959. The others were on ABC ("The Proud American", 1966), "Tee Pee" (1967) and "Buddah" (1969).[13]

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: DeArmond-Huskey . Rebecca . Monticello (Drew County) Encyclopedia of Arkansas . July 3, 2007 . EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net . January 15, 2008.
  2. Web site: Staff reporter . Veterans Affairs Chief Steps Down After Four Years . June 7, 1997 . CNN.com . CNN . January 15, 2008 . Veterans Affairs Secretary Jesse Brown plans to leave his post July 1, and President Bill Clinton accepted the resignation Saturday "with deep regret.".
  3. President Clinton Names Togo D. West, Jr. As Acting Secretary Of The Department Of Veterans' Affairs . White House . December 2, 1997 . January 15, 2008 . The President today announced the appointment of Togo D. West, Jr., as Acting Secretary of Veterans' Affairs; the appointment will be effective January 2, 1998. . https://web.archive.org/web/20061005221525/http://clinton6.nara.gov/1997/12/1997-12-02-togo-west-named-acting-secretary-at-veterans-affairs.html . October 5, 2006 .
  4. Web site: US Department of Veterans Affairs . The Honorable Hershel W. Gober . July 2000 . va.gov . January 15, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110518012038/http://www1.va.gov/pressrel/gober.htm . May 18, 2011.
  5. Ned Powell Named Acting VA Deputy Secretary . US Department of Veterans Affairs . August 10, 2000 . January 15, 2008 . President Clinton has appointed Edward A. (Ned) Powell, Jr., as the Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Powell, currently VAs Assistant Secretary for Financial Management, will fill the position held by Hershel W. Gober, who was named Acting VA Secretary. . https://web.archive.org/web/20070818091100/http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=207 . August 18, 2007.
  6. U.S. Senate. Chapter 10: Cabinet Nominations Rejected or Withdrawn Accessed December 24, 2007.
  7. Rosenbaum, David E. Clinton Withdraws Nomination For Secretary of Veterans Affairs. New York Times. 1997-10-25. Accessed December 25, 2007. "In confirmation hearings, the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs intended to explore circumstances surrounding the exoneration of Mr. Gober after he was accused of sexual misconduct in 1993, a Congressional staff member said tonight."
  8. Rosenbaum, David E. Clinton Withdraws Nomination For Secretary of Veterans Affairs. New York Times. 1997-10-25. Accessed 2007-12-25. "Mr. Gober said he preferred to remain as Deputy Secretary, and Mr. Clinton said he regretted Mr. Gober's decision not to pursue the nomination."
  9. Clinton . Bill . Remarks by the President, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo West, and Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel Gober . Clinton6.NARA.gov . July 10, 2000 . December 25, 2007 . A few years ago, I was honored that he agreed to head a delegation back to Vietnam to seek the fullest possible accounting of our men and women still missing in uniform. Hershel has already made his mark on the critical issue of veterans' health care. Early in our administration, he came to me and recommended that we look for ways to bring health care closer to the veterans who needed it. Since then, we've opened more than 200 out-patient clinics all across America and have more planned this year. That's one of the big reasons we were able to treat -- listen to this -- 400,000 more veterans last year than we did the year before. . June 8, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110608073655/http://clinton6.nara.gov/2000/07/2000-07-10-remarks-by-the-president.html . dead .
  10. President Clinton Names Hershel Gober as Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs . White House . July 3, 1997 . Clinton6.NARA.gov . December 25, 2007 . Prior to his appointment as Deputy Secretary, he served as State Director of Veterans' Affairs in Arkansas under then-Governor Clinton..
  11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7698055.stm Winning hearts and minds in Vietnam
  12. Web site: Hershel Gober . https://archive.today/20130630050647/http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/hershel_gober . 2013-06-30 . RateYourMusic.com . Rate your music . April 15, 2013 .
  13. "On That Wisconsin Beat" (MusicGem, 2006) – Gary E. Myers