10/05/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/05/2022 20:19
Contact:
Link to video and sound (details below): https://bit.ly/3SGCvv4
WHAT: Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis Richard McDonough visits with veteran students at UH Mānoa to discuss topics of interest for service members transitioning to college life and careers beyond the military.
WHO: VA Secretary Denis Richard McDonough, U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, UH veteran students and administration involved in assisting veteran students.
WHERE: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
HOW: UH Mānoa assists students using Veterans Affairs benefits such as GI bill scholarships and other funds.
WHY: The VA secretary hosts discussions with student veterans on campuses around the country as part of finding how the former service members are adjusting to life after the military and how the VA can improve assisting in the transition.
OTHER FACTS:
VIDEO BROLL: (0:50)
VA Secretary visiting with UH Mānoa veteran students
SOUNDBITES:
Denis Richard McDonough, U.S. Veterans Affairs secretary (:22)
"I'm thrilled to be here at the University of Hawaiʻi to hear directly from student veterans and military-connected students about their experience here. Some of them will be here relying on programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, so I want to hear directly from them, our customers, about how those programs are working."
Matthew Rinaldi, UH Mānoa student and former U.S. Army aviation logistics specialist (:21)
"It's pretty unprecedented that the secretary of the VA is willing to come here and talk to students. It really makes our voices heard or listened to, just to get those issues out there, and to actually bring changes to the VA system is important for a lot of veterans."