Secretary of the Army

In the end... it all comes back to people, the men and women who step forward and don the uniform of our nation, the spouses, the children of those brave warriors who sacrifice so much as well. Like all of you, I visit our wounded warriors at home and abroad. And in each visit, I have been so struck how these heroes, facing pain and loss and uncertainty, ask one question: What else can I do to serve? We can ask no less of ourselves. How can we succeed in repaying even a partial measure of the devotion they render to all of us each and every day? (Testimony to Congress, July 30, 2009)