 Dave is a service-connected veteran who served in both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard. He enlisted in the Army in 1976 and served as a radar repair technician. Upon his completion of the term with the Army, Mr. Riley joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1983 and served as a helicopter rescue swimmer. While on active duty with the Coast Guard, Dave contracted a debilitating disease which resulted in the loss of four limbs and a subsequent medical retirement. Dave continued his education, earning a bachelor or master's degree in computer and information science from the University of South Alabama. Mr. Riley joined the DAV in 1997 and he is a life member of Sheehan Paik Chapter 7 in Mobile, Alabama. In 2010, Dave Riley was selected as a DAV Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year. He was the first Coast Guardsman to earn this award. Commander Riley was active in chapter and department activities and both leadership and service activities. He has held a succession of chapter and department offices, culminating in his election as Department of Alabama Commander. Ladies and gentlemen, may I ask you to welcome our national commander, Dave Riley. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for that warm welcome. It's a pleasure to be here this morning with the State Commanders and Agents Associated Meeting. I'm joined this morning with a very special guest. I'm talking about a renowned medical professional who has a dedicated career of serving us all. A son of a soldier born at an Army hospital, this individual served veterans the past year and a half as a VA's Undersecretary of Health during an unmatched time of transition and growth within the department. I'm, of course, talking about Dr. David Shulkin, who just a few weeks ago was unanimously confirmed as our 9th Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands or hooks together for him. Dr. Shulkin, as you can hear from the applause, we are honored to have you here at our annual Midwinter Conference. We're looking forward to hearing from you regarding the improvements to Health Department, led as Undersecretary of Health, how you will continue to build upon these past successes as Secretary. DAV believes the intrinsic value of VA is irreplaceable. They specialize in veterans and have been a long leader in many forms of treatment, therapy, and research unique to our community. During testimony to the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs earlier this month, Dr. Shulkin said, VA is a unique national resource that is worth saving, and I'm committed to doing just that. Dr. Shulkin, for the past year and a half, has illustrated a commitment to working with the DAV for solutions that were best for veterans. I thank Dr. Shulkin for standing up for the men and women who served during his tender as Undersecretary for Health. As National Commander of DAV and on behalf of our 1.3 million members, I look forward to working with this Secretary. I've had a chance to meet with him a number of times, and he's a warm human being. He really genuinely cares about veterans, and I'm excited for this continuing year. As a disabled veteran and user of VA health care, I look forward to experience the major transformation and reforms underway at the VA firsthand. At DAV, we talk a lot about keeping the promise to our nation's veterans. America has a contract with those who served, and the Department of Veteran Affairs holds a significant piece of that contract. But a contract is a two-way agreement, and we must uphold our end as well. For our part, we will continue to provide you with the feedback and honest insight we receive from our members. There's much to be learned about the operations of the VA system from the men and women right here in this room. And I'm confident VA leaders, including Secretary Shulkin, are listening. This week and throughout the year, we will be addressing some very critical topics, including health care and appeals reform, improving services for women veterans, and support for all our caregivers. But at the very front of the line is safeguarding and improving the VA so that we can ensure all veterans today and tomorrow have a system accountable to them for their injuries and illnesses sustained in service to this nation. That's why we're using DAV's Operation Keep the Promise as a platform to educate veterans, Congress, and the new administration on a smart approach to reforming the VA. For several years, there has been a vigorous national debate about how to best provide timely, high-quality, comprehensive, and veteran-focused health care to our nation's heroes. We know that some veterans have difficulty accessing VA medical care, so private sector options should play a role when it makes sense for meeting the unique veterans' needs. Choice should be a part of the solution to fixing VA health care, but it has to fit into the big picture to ensure better health outcomes for veterans. That's why DAV and other VSOs have proposed the creation of an integrated network to combine the strength of the VA health care system with the best of community providers so the veterans have real choices. Now, VA leaders in Congress and the congressionally mandated Independent Commission on Care have all reached the same conclusion. As you fill the halls of Congress on Tuesday or meet with your representatives and senators throughout the week, your message must be clear. We are veterans. We take care of veterans. And we expect our government to do the same for those who have sacrificed and for their families and survivors. No matter the ear or branch we served in, man or woman, young or old, we have sacrificed for this nation. We have upheld our end of the contract and now Congress has to ensure they stay true to it as well. Veterans' issues should never be partisan and we expect our elected officials to work together in the best interest of all those who served. Now I want to take a moment to recognize some important people in the audience today. Our National Service Officers and Transition Service Officers provide their every day face-to-face with veterans, making an incredible impact on the men and women who served, as well as their families. So too are DAV's Department and Chapter Service Officers. They stand ready to ensure every veteran has access to free professional representation. I would like to our National Service Officers, Transition Service Officers, and Department and Chapter Service Officers with us today to stand and be recognized. The men and women accredited or certified by DAV as Service Officers, over 4,200 strong and the face of DAV, are often the first impression a veteran has of our organization. Thank you all for your dedication and for your fellow veterans. Service work is truly the bread and butter of DAV. It's what we do best and what we are known for. But between DAV and the auxiliary, we are also reaching more and more veterans through volunteers serving in VA facilities across the country. Donating approximately 100,000 hours per year, we have also dedicated DAV volunteer drivers who provide around 700,000 rides annually to veterans, ensuring they have access to care. Since beginning in 1987, our drivers have totaled more than 660 million miles and donated more than 37 million hours of their time to this program. Nearly 18 million veterans have benefited from the DAV Transportation Network. While these are impressive numbers, there's still an unmet need. All the fundraising we do can't replace the presence of our volunteer forces. Volunteerism across the country, as you may know, is in decline. It's a trend we look to reverse. Many services injured and ill veterans depend on count on the spirit of hard-working volunteers. That's why this Wednesday we are kicking off Forward March, a campaign to encourage all those who have received DAV's assistance and all our supporters to pay it forward by volunteering one hour of their time to help local veterans. This campaign will provide ways they and all other patriotic Americans can lend their time in support of our nation's finance. DAV created the Local Veterans Assistance Program, or LVAP, to enable volunteers to perform service work that meets the unique needs of veterans in their communities. Forward March will encourage people to support veterans through the program and promote volunteerism and participation in the program through social media like Facebook and Twitter. And don't worry, there is a social network workshop tomorrow afternoon, so if you don't already know how to harness this powerful communications tool, you will after Monday's session at 4.30 in this room. There are so many of you already out there giving back to your fellow veterans. I think that kind of dedication from all volunteers, as well as our hospital service coordinators, deserves a little recognition. So for those of you with us today, please stand for a much-deserved round of applause. I'm always inspired by the giving nature of volunteers, but these men and women are truly standout group. Thank you all. Please consider joining these patriots next month when we give back to our fellow veterans and Forward March. Another group of people I would also like to take a moment to recognize are the professional staff in both Cold Spring and Washington. They are constantly working to improve the programs and services we offer and to ensure DAV is doing everything possible to better serve veterans. Mark Burgess, Barry Jezanowski and Gary Augustine, you have assembled a phenomenal team of professionals within the Veterans Advocacy Arena and the work you do is second to none. As veterans and members, we sincerely appreciate all the work these teams do in order to further the DAV mission. Thank you. I would be remiss if I didn't also thank our counterparts in the auxiliary. DAV has no better friend or closer ally than the DAV auxiliary. Under the capable leadership of auxiliary national commander Fran Costa and national agitant Pat Kemper, your support is invaluable and we are blessed to have such a devoted partner. I especially want to thank Fran for her dedication and supporting caregivers during her term as leader of the auxiliary. For nearly a century, DAV has stood as the champion of veterans' causes. I can assure you this year and in the years ahead, we will face many new trials including challenges to our compensation and health care programs. Your attention to the issues, your support in our advocacy campaigns and your voices lending depth to our message have never been more important than they are now. We need you to be DAV's ambassadors. Take what you learn and experience this week home with you. Spread the message and invite your fellow veterans to join by our side. It's through our ranks nationwide that we move closer to achieving our goals. Never forget the men and women we're fighting for, the veterans here in this room, the veterans in long-term care and nursing facilities, the veterans coming home each and every day. They make difficult transitions back to civilian life and the service members currently oversee and harm's way. Let these men and women guide your daily efforts. The mission of service is never complete and we owe our fellow engineer Nell veterans the best DAV has to offer. More than anything, I have an enormous confidence in what incredible talents you bring to this organization. May God bless the DAV, may God continue to bless the United States of America and the men and women who continue to stand watch to defend her. Thank you and keep up the good work.