July 11, 2005

Contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) Chairman Larry Craig announced today that the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs will hold a hearing this week concerning two presidential nominations.

The committee will consider James P. Terry, who has been nominated to be the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Charles S. "Chick" Ciccolella, who has been nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training.

The hearing will be held Thursday, July 14, in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building, starting at 10:30 a.m. It will be webcast live on the committee's website. It may also be audiocast on C-SPAN'S hearing's website, located at http://www.capitolhearings.org.  

Witnesses

• James Phillip Terry, nominated to be Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Charles S. Ciccolella, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training.

About the witnesses

Colonel James P. Terry is a former Marine JAG officer who also served as a combat infantry officer in Vietnam in 1968 - 1969, where he received, among other decorations, the Purple Heart. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and attended law school at Mercer University in Georgia from 1970 - 1973 while in the Marines. He later received an M.A. in Education from the University of Virginia, and advanced law degrees from George Washington University. He served as legal counsel to then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell. After retirement from the Corps, he served as an Administrative Judge at the Interior Department, and then at the State Department (where he was reunited with Colin Powell) as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs.

Charles S. "Chick" Ciccolella is a former career Army infantry officer who currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training. He served in Vietnam from 1969 through 1970 as a combat platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division, where he was awarded, among other decorations, the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valor. After retirement, Mr. Ciccolella served for 1½ years in the American Legion's Washington headquarters, followed by 2 years service as a Senate staffer as Chief of Operations, Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms, and Director, Information Technology Policy, Senate Committee on Rules.