Vet News: VA Salutes Ross Perot

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake presented business leader and veterans’ advocate Ross Perot a special award Jan. 7 for embodying "the very spirit of America" in his selfless support of veterans and the military.

"Few Americans have done as much as Mr. Perot to enhance the lives of our veterans, military personnel, their families and their survivors," Peake said. "In a lifetime of behind-the-scenes service to care for those who have defended our nation, he has redefined the term veterans advocate."

Perot’s veterans’ advocacy first gained national recognition in 1969, when he focused attention on the brutal treatment of U.S. prisoners of war captured during the Vietnam War.

"I am privileged and honored to receive this award," Perot said. "My contributions are insignificant compared to all the services and sacrifices of our military heroes and their families. They are the guardians at the gate of freedom for all of us."

He has quietly provided financial support to the families of POWs, offered scholarships to the children of soldiers killed in action and funded numerous USO events to entertain the troops. During the last 10 years, he has been a major advocate on behalf of Gulf War veterans.

A 1953 graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Perot founded Electronic Data Systems (EDS), one of the world’s largest technology services firms, in 1962. Twenty-six years later, he founded Perot Systems Corp., another leader in the technology field.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs