Gunn Sworn in As Veterans Affairs General Counsel

WASHINGTON, May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Attorney Will A. Gunn, a retired
Air Force colonel, took the oath of office yesterday as General Counsel of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) following his recent Senate confirmation.

"I'm thrilled by the opportunity to serve as VA's General Counsel," Gunn said.
"I'm also humbled and deeply honored by the confidence that President Obama
and Secretary Shinseki have shown in me with this appointment.

"Veterans hold a special place in my heart," he added. "I look forward to
helping lead a transformation at VA to make the department more
people-centric, results oriented, and forward looking than ever before. I
look forward to serving as VA's General Counsel and consider it both a
blessing and a sacred trust."

Gunn assumes the helm of an office with a nationwide staff of more than 700
employees, including 460 attorneys. The General Counsel ensures the faithful
execution of the laws, regulations and policies that VA administers.

The General Counsel's interpretations on legal matters further VA's mission of
service to the nation's Veterans with written opinions on adjudications and
appeals involving Veterans' benefits under laws administered by VA.

Operating through seven professional staff groups in Washington plus 22
regional counsel offices across the United States, the office provides VA
representation before administrative and judicial forums, offers formal and
informal legal and ethics advice, and drafts and advocates legislation
affecting Veterans.

Gunn, an attorney who at the time of his nomination represented military
members and Veterans in private practice in northern Virginia, retired from
the Air Force in 2005, where he served as a colonel in the Judge Advocate
General's Corps.

A former White House fellow, he received the American Bar Association's
Outstanding Career Military Lawyer Award. In 2003, he was named the first
chief defense counsel in the Department of Defense's Office of Military
Commissions, building a defense team and supervising defense activities for
detainees selected for trial before military commissions to ensure they
received effective representation.

A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Gunn is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force
Academy and is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. While at Harvard,
he was elected president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the nation's oldest
student-run legal services organization.

He also has a master's degree in environmental law from George Washington
University School of Law and a master of science degree in national resource
strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Gunn has been chair of the American Bar Association's Commission on Youth at
Risk and served on the board of Christian Service Charities. In 2005, he was
named president and chief executive officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater
Washington.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

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