August 5, 2005

Contact: Jeff Schrade (202) 224-9093

(Washington, DC) A member of U.S. Senator Larry Craig's committee staff has been nominated by President Bush for an important position with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. William F. Tuerk has been chosen to be the next Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs.

He currently serves as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

"I am extremely pleased for Bill. He is an outstanding individual with a solid reputation," said Sen. Craig, who chairs the Veterans' Committee.

Tuerk previously served as Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs during the Chairmanship of Senator Arlen Specter. Earlier in his career, he served as a senior attorney at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Tuerk received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his juris doctorate from George Washington University.

A date has not yet been set for a hearing on his nomination.

He is the second Craig staff member this year chosen by President Bush.

In March, President Bush appointed Scott Nystrom to be the Executive Director of the White House Conference on Aging. Nystrom had served as a senior policy advisor for Sen. Craig when the senator was chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

If approved by the Senate as Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, Tuerk will oversee the operation of over 120 national cemeteries, including the availability of headstones and grave markers, and will be responsible for the purchase of additional land for future cemeteries, and the issuance of Presidential Memorial Certificates to survivors of honorably discharged veterans.

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