Veterans Underrepresented in Administration, Group Says

Veterans are seriously underrepresented in senior Administration positions, and those who fought in Vietnam have been ignored in the appointment of White House staff, says a study by veterans interest groups.

Veterans activist John Wheeler, using Office of Personnel Management figures, said only 21% of the nearly 600 men appointed as of last June to offices needing Senate confirmation were veterans. Among White House staff, the figure was far smaller, he said.

By comparison, 30% of a similar number of George Bush Administration appointees in December, 1992, were vets. Nearly half the American male population over age 35, 64% of male senators and 45% of male House members are veterans.

Wheeler did the study with Lewis Puller Jr., winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography recounting his struggle with wounds, including loss of his legs, suffered in Vietnam. Puller committed suicide last May.

White House spokeswoman Ginny Terzano said there were minimal differences between this and previous administrations in the hiring of veterans. She said the White House and the President “have been very attentive to reaching out to veterans when it comes to the hiring process and will continue to do so.”

President Clinton’s White House differs from that of Bush and previous presidents in that many of its younger staffers grew up at a time when the United States had a volunteer Army and was engaged in no major wars. As a college student during the Vietnam War, Clinton joined anti-war protests and avoided the draft.

Wheeler, who has been pressing the White House for more than a year on the veterans employment issue, said the generational change was no excuse for the dearth of top slots going to people with national service experience.

Meanwhile, Clinton observed Veterans Day by saluting the nation’s military for “standing watch for freedom and security.”

In a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, he promised the nation would not forget those still unaccounted for as a result of the Vietnam War, and praised forces serving in the Middle East and Haiti.

“I am proud to share this Veterans Day with you in this magnificent place of rest and reverence,” Clinton said. “We say, simply and from the bottom of our hearts, ‘Thank You.’ ”