Biographies - Gordon Mansfield
Gordon H. Mansfield, Director Gordon H. Mansfield served as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs from January of 2004 to January of 2009. As chief operating officer of the second largest department in the federal government he managed a budget of more than $77 million and a national staff of about 250,000 responsible for the national system of health care services, benefits programs, and national cemeteries for American veterans and their dependents. Mr. Mansfield previously served as VA Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs from 2001 to 2004, and was Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs from October 1, 2007 to December 20, 2007 after Secretary Jim Nicholson resigned and until President Bush’s nominee, Retired U.S. Army Surgeon General James Peake, was sworn in.Prior to his appointment, Mr. Mansfield served as legislative advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, where he was responsible for the VA’s Congressional relations and for representing VA programs, policies, investigations and legislative agenda to Congress. Before joining the VA, Mr. Mansfield was executive director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). From 1981 to 1989 he held a number of positions at PVA, and served as the organization’s first associate executive director of Government Relations. Mr. Mansfield’s role at PVA was instrumental in elevating the VA to a Cabinet-level department. He also worked to help establish what is now known as the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, as well as important legislation including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Disabled Voters Access Act, the Air Carrier Access Act and the Fair Housing Act. Mr. Mansfield served as Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 1989 to 1993. In that position he was responsible for ensuring the availability of accessible housing for disabled people in new multi-family housing. Prior to 1981 he practiced law in Ocala, Florida. Mr. Mansfield received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University. He enlisted in the Army in 1964 and served two tours of duty in Viet Nam. While company commander with the 101st Airborne during his second tour, he was wounded during the Tet Offensive of 1968 and sustained a spinal cord injury. In spite of his injuries he remained with his troops and ensured their safety and the evacuation of the injured before he permitted his medivac to a nearby Navy hospital. He was later transferred to the U.S. Army Hospital at Camp Zama, Japan, and then to the Valley Forge Army Hospital in Pennsylvania where he began the long physical rehabilitation process. The road to rehabilitation took him to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. and the VA Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland., where his treatment and therapy continued for the next five years. While there he began his legal studies at American University Law School, and earned his law degree under the VA vocational rehabilitation program at the University of Miami School of Law. Shortly after graduation, Mr. Mansfield was back in the VA medical center for a second major operation on his spine, and for another rehabilitation program. It was after his recovery that he began practicing law in Ocala where he served as counsel in a legal aid program providing assistance to his fellow veterans. He also became involved in forming a Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Marion County, Florida, and is a life member of the DAV. For his actions while his unit was under fire, Mr. Mansfield was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross. He was medically retired by the U.S. Army at the grade of Captain. His other combat decorations include the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and the Presidential Unit Citation. He was inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 2007 and the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in 1997. Mr. Mansfield was honored as the Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year at the 2006 national convention of Disabled American Veterans, and was inducted into the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame in October 2006. He is a recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the Villanova University Alumni Human Relations Medal. Click here to return to Biographies. |
