James Peake
Encyclopedia
James Benjamin Peake is a former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
, serving from 2007 to 2009. In 2004, he retired from a 38-year United States Army
career. He also served as the 40th Surgeon General of the United States Army.
James Peake is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
.
. Peake grew up in a US military family. His father began as an enlisted man in the Army, and became an officer who spent most of his 30-year career in the Medical Service Corps. Peake's mother was an Army nurse, and his brother was a naval aviator.
degree from U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1966 and was commissioned a second lieutenant
in the U.S. Army Infantry. Following service in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division where he was awarded the Silver Star, a Bronze Star with “V” device and the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, Peake entered medical school at Cornell University
in New York. He was awarded a medical doctorate in 1972. He retired from the Army in 2004, as a Lieutenant General
.
Peake served for four years as the United States Army Surgeon General. He also served as commander of several Army medical units
. Previous key assignments include Commander, U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School and Installation Commander, Fort Sam Houston; Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Commanding General, Madigan Army Medical Center
/Northwest Health Service Support Activity, Tacoma, Washington
; Commanding General, 44th Medical Brigade/Corps Surgeon, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg
; Deputy Director, Professional Services/Chief, Consultant, Office of the Surgeon General, Falls Church, Virginia
; Commander, 18th Medical Command and 121st Evacuation Hospital/Command Surgeon, Seoul, Korea; Deputy Commander for Clinical Services, Tripler Army Medical Center
, Honolulu, Hawaii; Assistant Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center
, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Staff General Surgeon/Chief, General Surgery Clinic, DeWitt Army Hospital
, Fort Belvoir; and General Surgery Resident, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Awards and decorations that Peake has received include the Distinguished Service Medal
(with oak leaf cluster
), Silver Star
, Defense Superior Service Medal
, Legion of Merit
(with three oak leaf clusters), Bronze Star
with "V" device (with one oak leaf cluster), Purple Heart
(with oak leaf cluster), Meritorious Service Medal
(with two oak leaf clusters), Air Medal
, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with "V" device (with one oak leaf cluster), Humanitarian Service Medal
, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
, Combat Infantryman Badge
, Combat Medical Badge
, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award
(with one oak leaf cluster), Senior Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Ranger Tab
and Army Staff Identification Badge
. After Vietnam, he attended Cornell University
's Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also a graduate of the United States Army War College, in 1988.
, a non-profit international health foundation operating in more than 30 countries. While at Project HOPE he helped to orchestrate the use of civilian volunteers aboard the Navy Hospital Ship Mercy as it responded to the Tsunami disaster in Indonesia and also as part of the Hurricane Katrina response aboard the Hospital Ship Comfort.
Just prior to his nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Peake served as Chief Medical Officer and Chief Executive Officer for QTC, one of the largest private providers of government-outsourced occupational health and disability examination services in the nation.
On December 17, 2009, CGI Group Inc., one of the largest independent information technology and business process services firms in the world, announced the hiring of Peake as Senior Vice-President for the Health Industry.
on December 14, 2007 and sworn in at VA headquarters by Vice President Dick Cheney
on December 20.
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
The United States Secretary of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits and related matters...
, serving from 2007 to 2009. In 2004, he retired from a 38-year United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
career. He also served as the 40th Surgeon General of the United States Army.
James Peake is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
Institute for Cultural Diplomacy
The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy is an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Berlin. Founded in 1999 by Mark Donfried, its activities focus on promoting and developing the field of cultural diplomacy by conducting research, initiatives and programs, holding...
.
Early life
Peake was born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Peake grew up in a US military family. His father began as an enlisted man in the Army, and became an officer who spent most of his 30-year career in the Medical Service Corps. Peake's mother was an Army nurse, and his brother was a naval aviator.
Military career
At the age of 18, he set upon his own Army career when he was accepted to West Point. Peake received his Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1966 and was commissioned a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the U.S. Army Infantry. Following service in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division where he was awarded the Silver Star, a Bronze Star with “V” device and the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, Peake entered medical school at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in New York. He was awarded a medical doctorate in 1972. He retired from the Army in 2004, as a Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
.
Peake served for four years as the United States Army Surgeon General. He also served as commander of several Army medical units
United States Army Medical Command
The U.S. Army Medical Command is a major command of the U.S. Army that provides command and control of the Army's fixed-facility medical, dental, and veterinary treatment facilities, providing preventive care, medical research and development and training institutions.MEDCOM is commanded by the...
. Previous key assignments include Commander, U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School and Installation Commander, Fort Sam Houston; Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Commanding General, Madigan Army Medical Center
Madigan Army Medical Center
Madigan Army Medical Center, located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord just outside Tacoma, Washington, is a key component of the Madigan Healthcare System and one of the largest military hospitals on the West Coast of the USA....
/Northwest Health Service Support Activity, Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
; Commanding General, 44th Medical Brigade/Corps Surgeon, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
; Deputy Director, Professional Services/Chief, Consultant, Office of the Surgeon General, Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
; Commander, 18th Medical Command and 121st Evacuation Hospital/Command Surgeon, Seoul, Korea; Deputy Commander for Clinical Services, Tripler Army Medical Center
Tripler Army Medical Center
Tripler Army Medical Center is the headquarters of the Pacific Regional Medical Command of the armed forces administered by the United States Army in the State of Hawaii. It is the largest military hospital in the Asian and Pacific Rim region and serves a military sphere of jurisdiction that spans...
, Honolulu, Hawaii; Assistant Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio is part of the United States Army Medical Command. It is a University of Texas Health Science Center and USUHS teaching hospital and contains the Army Burn Center....
, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Staff General Surgeon/Chief, General Surgery Clinic, DeWitt Army Hospital
DeWitt Army Community Hospital
Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is a U.S. Army hospital located on Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia. The hospital opened in 2011 and replaced the DeWitt Army Community Hospital....
, Fort Belvoir; and General Surgery Resident, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Awards and decorations that Peake has received include the Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
(with oak leaf cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
), Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
The Defense Superior Service Medal is a senior United States military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States armed forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility."...
, Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(with three oak leaf clusters), Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
with "V" device (with one oak leaf cluster), Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
(with oak leaf cluster), Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
(with two oak leaf clusters), Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with "V" device (with one oak leaf cluster), Humanitarian Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
The Humanitarian Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States armed forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under...
, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States military, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy...
, Combat Infantryman Badge
Combat Infantryman Badge
The Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...
, Combat Medical Badge
Combat Medical Badge
The Combat Medical Badge is an award of the United States Army which was first created in January 1945. The badge is awarded to any member of the Army Medical Department, at the rank of Colonel or below, who are assigned or attached to a medical unit which provides medical support to a ground...
, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is a military award that was established on June 4, 1981 by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982...
(with one oak leaf cluster), Senior Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Ranger Tab
Ranger Tab
The Ranger Tab is a service school military decoration of the United States Army signifying completion of the 61-day long Ranger School course in small-unit infantry combat tactics in woodland, mountain, and swamp operations. In December 2009 a British NCO earned the Ranger tab...
and Army Staff Identification Badge
Army Staff Identification Badge
The Army Staff Identification Badge is a badge of the United States Army worn by personnel who serve at the Office of the Secretary of the Army and the Army Staff at Headquarters, Department of the Army and its agencies. Neither an award nor a decoration, the badge is a distinguishing emblem of...
. After Vietnam, he attended Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
's Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also a graduate of the United States Army War College, in 1988.
Post-military career
After retiring from the Army, Peake served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Project HopeProject HOPE (USA)
Project HOPE is an international health care organization founded in the United States in 1958. Its most visible aspect was the SS HOPE, the first peacetime hospital ship...
, a non-profit international health foundation operating in more than 30 countries. While at Project HOPE he helped to orchestrate the use of civilian volunteers aboard the Navy Hospital Ship Mercy as it responded to the Tsunami disaster in Indonesia and also as part of the Hurricane Katrina response aboard the Hospital Ship Comfort.
Just prior to his nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Peake served as Chief Medical Officer and Chief Executive Officer for QTC, one of the largest private providers of government-outsourced occupational health and disability examination services in the nation.
On December 17, 2009, CGI Group Inc., one of the largest independent information technology and business process services firms in the world, announced the hiring of Peake as Senior Vice-President for the Health Industry.
Secretary of Veterans' Affairs
Peake's selection as VA secretary was announced on October 30, 2007. He was confirmed by the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on December 14, 2007 and sworn in at VA headquarters by Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
on December 20.