Gordon Hall Mansfield (September 15, 1941 – January 29, 2013) was an American military veteran who was Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs between 2004 and 2008.

Political career

Mansfield was nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

on November 3, 2003, and confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on January 22, 2004. He previously served as VA Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs since August 1, 2001. From October 1, 2007 until December 20, 2007 he was the Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs after Jim Nicholson resigned as Secretary. He served as Acting Secretary until President Bush's nominee, Retired U.S. Army Surgeon General

James Peake James Benjamin Peake (born June 18, 1944) was the sixth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, serving from 2007 to 2009. In 2004, he retired from a 38-year United States Army career. He also served as the 40th Surgeon General of the Uni ...

was sworn in on December 20, 2007. He term as Deputy Secretary ended in January 2009. (Archived by WebCite at ) Prior to his appointment, Mansfield served as the legislative advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and was responsible for VA's

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

ional relations and for representing VA programs, policies, investigations and legislative agenda to Congress. Prior to joining VA, Mansfield served as executive director of the

Paralyzed Veterans of America The Paralyzed Veterans of America is a veterans' service organization in the United States of America, founded in 1946. The organization holds 33 chapters and 70 National Service Offices in the United States and Puerto Rico. It is based in Washin ...

(PVA) since April 1993. In that position, he oversaw daily operation of PVA's national office in Washington, D.C. Mansfield held a number of positions at PVA from 1981 to 1989, and served as the organization's first associate executive director of Government Relations. Mansfield served as Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the

Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urb ...

from 1989 to 1993 under President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

’s Administration. Prior to 1981, he practiced law in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

Education

Mansfield received his undergraduate degree from

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

. While recovering from wounds sustained in Vietnam, he began studying for his law degree at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

, and eventually graduated from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

Military service

Following his 1964 enlistment in the Army, Mansfield served two tours of duty in Vietnam. While serving as company commander with the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

during his second tour, he was wounded during the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...

on February 4, 1968, when an enemy soldier feigning death shot him. Mansfield sustained a spinal cord injury, but remained with his soldiers and made sure that the wounded were evacuated before he was

medevac Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

ed to a Navy Hospital, and was later sent to the

National Naval Medical Center National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

to recover. Mansfield was discharged in September 1968.

Awards

For his actions while his unit was under fire, he was decorated with the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. He was medically retired by the U.S. Army at the grade of Captain. His other combat decorations include the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, two

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

s, the

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of ei ...

and the Presidential Unit Citation. Mansfield is a recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the

Alumni Human Relations Medal. He was inducted into the 2006 National Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame, and into the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in 1997. In February 2009 Mansfield joined the Board of Directors of the Disabled Veterans’ LIFE Memorial Foundation. In October 2010, Mansfield was honored by the Veteran's Group Soldier On at the official opening of the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community in

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

, in honor of his efforts for veterans. In attendance were dignitaries such as Massachusetts Congressman

John Olver John Walter Olver (born September 3, 1936) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district from 1991 to 2013. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age ...

, CEO of Soldier On Jack Downing and Director of Homeless Programs for the Veterans Administration Peter Dougherty, who, with Mansfield's wife Linda, unveiled a large bronze bas relief of Mansfield by sculptor

Andrew DeVries Andrew W. DeVries (born 1957 in Rochester, New York) is an American artist and sculptor living and working in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. His works, primarily in lost wax cast bronze produced at his own foundry, explore the human b ...

that marks the entrance to the community.

Death

Mansfield died of an aortic disease in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2013.

References

External links

Official Biography
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mansfield, Gordon 1941 births 2013 deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Washington College of Law alumni George W. Bush administration cabinet members George W. Bush administration personnel Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Army officers United States Assistant Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development United States Deputy Secretaries of Veterans Affairs University of Miami School of Law alumni Villanova University alumni