Department of the Army Taps VA to Help Serve Our Nations Veterans

Army Secretary John McHugh Requests VA Secretary Shinseki to Detail
Senior VA Executive to Arlington National Cemetery

WASHINGTON (June 10, 2010) - Today, at the request of the Army Secretary
John McHugh, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced
that Patrick K. Hallinan, a over 31-year employee of VA's National
Cemetery Administration (NCA), is being detailed to the Army to assist
in the management of Arlington National Cemetery.

"VA and the Army share a common goal of honoring all who have served and
sacrificed for their country," Shinseki said. "We look forward to
assisting the Army in serving all Members of the Active and Reserve
Components, eligible Veterans and their families with the utmost
dignity, respect, and compassion."

Army Secretary John McHugh today announced a series of management and
oversight changes in the Army National Cemeteries Program, which
includes both Arlington and the Soldiers' and Airmens' Home National
Cemetery in Washington, DC. On the retirement of current Arlington
Superintendant Jack Metzler, VA's Hallinan will serve temporarily as
Superintendant while the Army conducts a nationwide search for their
permanent replacement.

Hallinan currently serves as VA's Director of the Office of Field
Programs, responsible for the oversight of the Department of Veterans
Affairs' 131 National Cemeteries and five VA Memorial Service Network
offices. Hallinan has a wide-breadth of experience in every facet of
cemetery operations - beginning as a basic laborer at VA's Long Island
National Cemetery through his appointment as director of VA's Calverton
National Cemetery, to his current duties at VA's headquarters in
Washington, D.C.

About Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is administered by the Department of the
Army. Since May of 1864, Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
Virginia, has served as a cemetery, a memorial, a national monument to
America's war heroes. Over 300,000 Veterans have been interred on these
hallowed grounds since the Civil War and, on average; the cemetery
buries 27 Veterans every day.

About VA's National Cemetery Administration

VA's National Cemetery Administration (NCA) honors Veterans with final
resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that
commemorate their service to our nation.

VA operates 131 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33
soldiers' lots and monument sites.  More than 3 million Americans,
including Veterans of every war and conflict - from the Revolutionary
War to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan - are buried in
VA's national cemeteries on more than 19,000 acres. Over the past 6
years NCA has received a customer service rating of 95 from the American
Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).  ACSI is an economic indicator that
measures the satisfaction of consumers across the U.S. economy
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_system> . It is produced by the
American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC, a private company based in Ann
Arbor <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Arbor,_Michigan> , Michigan
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan> .

Additional information on VA burial benefits can be obtained from
national cemetery offices, from the Internet at www.cem.va.gov or by
calling VA regional offices toll-free at 800-827-1000.  To make burial
arrangements at the time of need at any VA national cemetery, call the
national cemetery scheduling office at 800-535-1117.