Hershel Gober

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.

Hershel Gober
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Acting
In office July 25, 2000 – January 20, 2001
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Togo West
Succeeded by	Anthony Principi
In office July 1, 1997 – January 2, 1998
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Jesse Brown
Succeeded by	Togo West
United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In office February 4, 1993 – August 10, 2000
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Anthony Principi
Succeeded by	Leo Mackay
Director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs
In office January 4, 1988 – February 4, 1993
Governor	Bill Clinton Jim Tucker
Preceded by	Grady Brown
Succeeded by	Nick Bacon
Personal details
Born	Hershel Wayne Gober December 21, 1936 Monticello, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Alaska Pacific University (BA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch/service	United States Army  United States Marine Corps
Rank	Major (USMC)
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Purple Heart Bronze Star

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 However, the nomination was withdrawn before Senate action on October 27 the same year[6] because of fears that nomination hearings for Gober would become heated due to questions about a 1993 claim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

• Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States

References

1. DeArmond-Huskey, Rebecca (July 3, 2007). "Monticello (Drew County) Encyclopedia of Arkansas". EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
2. Staff reporter (June 7, 1997). "Veterans Affairs Chief Steps Down After Four Years". CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved 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" (Press release). White House. December 2, 1997. Archived from the original on October 5, 2006. Retrieved 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.
4. "The Honorable Hershel W. Gober". va.gov. US Department of Veterans Affairs. July 2000. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
5. "Ned Powell Named Acting VA Deputy Secretary" (Press release). US Department of Veterans Affairs. August 10, 2000. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved 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.
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 (July 10, 2000). "Remarks by the President, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo West, and Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel Gober". Clinton6.NARA.gov (Press release). Retrieved 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.
10. "President Clinton Names Hershel Gober as Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs". Clinton6.NARA.gov (Press release). White House. July 3, 1997. Retrieved 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. Winning hearts and minds in Vietnam
12. "Hershel Gober". RateYourMusic.com. Rate your music. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
13. "On That Wisconsin Beat" (MusicGem, 2006) – Gary E. Myers

External links

• Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
• Department of Veterans Affairs biography of Acting Secretary Gober at the Wayback Machine (archived January 29, 2004)
• Profile at American President: An Online Reference Resource
• Recordings of Gober singing songs in Vietnam are available in the Edward G. Lansdale collection at the Hoover Institution Archives, Stanford University
• Appearances on C-SPAN