As a Veteran - I choose the best!

As a fellow veteran, I deeply understand the significance of your military service and genuinely treasure your sacrifice. I also recognize that health care is deeply personal, and you rightfully expect timely, high-quality, and compassionate care. Your voice and feedback are critical in guiding our mission, and I am sincerely grateful for the honest, candid conversations I regularly share with many of you.

Whenever I meet with veterans across our network, we often exchange powerful stories about our time in service and the bond we share as comrades. These exchanges profoundly shape the way I approach my responsibilities as Network Director and reinforce the purpose and value of the mission to which I'm devoted.

One story I rarely share publicly is why I choose to receive my own health care from the Veterans Health Administration. Today, you may know me as the Network Director of the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network, responsible for overseeing care delivery to veterans across our region. Yet, long before assuming this leadership role, I was a United States Marine. I proudly served for eight years and eight days as an enlisted Marine, following in the footsteps of my father, who also wore the uniform of a Marine. This shared legacy has always made my service deeply meaningful.

After leaving active duty, I learned that my military service made me eligible for VA health care. At the time, as a young veteran, I didn't fully appreciate how significant this benefit would become. I recall receiving a letter confirming my eligibility and thinking I'd follow up later, perhaps in a few years. However, VA proactively reached out to me to schedule my initial primary care appointment, emphasizing the importance of preventive care.

That first visit opened my eyes to the true value and commitment of VA health care—a commitment built around lifelong relationships, preventive care, and proactive management of health concerns unique to veterans. Unlike traditional health care that often focuses primarily on addressing illness after it arises, VA emphasizes wellness, prevention, and comprehensive care coordination to address complex service-connected health issues early.

The outstanding experience I had as a VA patient inspired me to join the Veterans Health Administration professionally. I wanted to contribute to an organization committed deeply to veterans, to meaningful relationships, and to providing exemplary health care.

Since 2005, I have relied exclusively on VA health care for all my personal medical needs, despite having access to other federal health benefits as a government employee. My choice reflects the deep trust I have in the care we deliver across the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network. It's important to me that veterans understand I am personally invested in ensuring that the care we provide continues to meet—and exceed—the highest standards.

Looking forward, I want VA to be ready, accessible, and capable of caring for me and for all veterans when we most need it. I trust the VA completely—whether for primary care, mental health, specialty care, surgical services, or emergencies—and I remain committed to continually improving our care delivery to all veterans in our network.

VA health care represents more than medical services; it's about a trusted, lifelong partnership. As both a veteran and the Network Director, I am deeply committed to strengthening this partnership and advancing our shared mission every day.