July 26, 2006
Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) President Bush has nominated two men for posts within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and tomorrow, Thursday, July 27, both men will appear before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs at a hearing about their nominations.

One of the nominees, Rear Admiral Patrick Dunne, is replacing Dennis Duffy, who resigned from the VA post in the wake of the stolen ? and later recovered ? laptop computer and external hard drive containing the names and Social Security numbers of 26 million veterans and active duty personnel.

The committee may proceed to vote on the nominees later that day.

• The hearing will be held in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, starting at 10 a.m. Eastern.
• It will be webcast live, and archived for viewing later, at http://veterans.senate.gov. The hearing may also be audiocast ? during the hearing only ? on C-SPAN's hearings website, located at http://www.capitolhearings.org.

Witnesses:

• Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison - to introduce Mr. Harvey
• Thomas E. Harvey, nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs, Department of Veterans' Affairs

? He served his nation honorably in the United States Army, spending almost three years in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He earned a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained during enemy combat. He later served two separate stints on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs as Staff Director and Chief Counsel.

• Rear Admiral Patrick W. Dunne, nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning, U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs

? He spent more than 30 years in the Navy and is a 1972 graduate of the Naval Academy. He earned his Master's Degree in Mathematics from the Navy's Post-graduate School in Monterey, California, and received nuclear propulsion training in Sen. Craig's home state of Idaho.

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