We lost a Bro today
 

Jesse Brown, once the head of the Dept of VA died yesterday. A volunteer into the Marines, he was severely wounded outside Da Nang. His tenure as head was one where we truly had a Brother at the Helm instead Non caring Princpri. I personally saw Brown come to the VA in Montgomery Al and write large checks out to vets who had won their cases but were experiencing long delays getting the back pay. He also intervened in cases that had been going back and forth for years, approving the Vet's claim and paying out intial partial payments. He was I believe 58. Vayos Con Dios :a:

You fought a good fight Jessie...thank you...see you on the other side :a:

Its always sad when a Brother passes on. I didn't know him, but xgrunt, given the compliments and accolades you have given him.....I am certain that there were Angels there to escort him home to his reward. :a: Surely he will be missed by many who knew him and by those who heard of him but never had the pleasure to meet him.

I reret the passing of Mr. Jesse Brown. I'm sure his loss to his family and friends will be surely missed. I pass along my sympathies to the family. Rest in peace Jesse.

Boats

Obituary for Jesse Brown
 

Obituary
THE HONORABLE JESSE BROWN
March 27, 1944 ? August 15, 2002
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
1993-1997

Jesse Brown, a man many see as the twentieth century?s great champion of America?s veterans, died August 15th following a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig?s disease. He was 58 years old.

During his nearly five years as Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the cabinet of President William J. Clinton, Mr. Brown earned the love and respect of his fellow veterans across the United States. As a member of the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, Mr. Brown was wounded when an enemy bullet shattered his right arm.

Prior to accepting a post in the Clinton Cabinet, Mr. Brown served as Executive Director of the Disabled American Veterans? (DAV) office in Washington, D.C. Working for this 1.3-million-member organization throughout his professional life, he gained a reputation as the nation?s keenest mind in the field of veterans? benefits and services.

?Jesse?s powerful mind remained sharp and engaged throughout his struggle with ALS,? said DAV National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson, one of Mr. Brown?s closest friends. ?Even during the last days of his life, Jesse was providing active leadership in the effort to construct a memorial for disabled veterans in Washington, D.C. He just never stopped.?

According to another close friend, noted philanthropist Mrs. Lois Pope, ?Veterans throughout the country are devastated to learn they?ve lost this extraordinary advocate. Nothing was more important to Jesse than the cause of men and women who accepted their country?s call to duty in our armed forces and came home wounded or otherwise disabled,? she said. Mrs. Pope chairs the Disabled Veterans? LIFE Memorial Foundation. ?He was one of the most determined human beings I have ever known.?

While heading the second largest department in the federal government, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Mr. Brown worked day and night to improve the delivery of health care and benefits to those who served in our nation?s armed forces.

In this position, he gained an extensive background in business, healthcare and technology. With nearly a quarter million employees working at more than 1,000 facilities across America, the VA had an annual budget of $40 billion during Mr. Brown?s tenure.

His great source of pride, however, was his drive to make the VA a customer-oriented enterprise that ?puts veterans first.? Those familiar with the VA?s history will understand the magnitude of this achievement.

Mr. Brown devoted a quarter century of his life to serving his fellow veterans as a National Service Officer with the DAV, rising rapidly through the organization?s ranks. With an annual budget exceeding $100 million, the DAV, a federally chartered not-for-profit organization, offers essential services to veterans and their families from 70 offices across the United States.

As Executive Director at the Disabled American Veterans in Washington, Mr. Brown became prominent in the policy-making circles of our nation?s capitol. His lobbying on behalf of America?s veterans before Congress, the White House and the federal bureaucracy earned him a reputation as a remarkably effective activist.

Following his years in the President's cabinet, Mr. Brown moved vigorously into the business world. He formed Brown and Associates, a world wide consulting firm. His expertise figured prominently in planning and marketing initiatives at a broad variety of companies, both domestic and international.

Mr. Brown was born in Detroit on March 27, 1944, and grew up in Chicago. An honors graduate of Chicago City College, he also studied at Roosevelt University in Chicago and Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia, their two children Carmen and Scott, his mother Mrs. Lucille Brown, granddaughter Taylor Jessica, sister Dorothy, brother-in-law Terry Hillard, niece Teri Lee, nephew Dana, aunts Floree Mason and Ruth Mitchell, uncles Henry Brown and George Marsh and many other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be conducted at the Washington National Cathedral, located at Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues, Washington, DC on Wednesday, August 21, 2002, beginning at 1:30 p.m., with internment at Arlington National Cemetery immediately following.

The family requests that memorials in Mr. Brown?s memory be made to either of two favorite charities: The DAV National Service Foundation, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301 or the Disabled Veterans LIFE Memorial Foundation, 2300 M Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20037.