Secretary Wilkie statement on signing of the Executive Order, ‘Supporting the Transition of Active Duty Service Members and Military Veterans into the Merchant Marine’

WASHINGTON — Today, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie issued the following statement on President Trump’s signing of the Executive Order, “Supporting the Transition of Active Duty Service Members and Military Veterans into the Merchant Marine:”

“This executive order means a lot to me personally because my grandfather was a mariner.

“This represents a true win-win for our nation’s Veterans and for national security.

“By fast-tracking the transition into the Merchant Marine of trained and credentialed service members, President Trump is meeting an important national security need while providing meaningful, well-paying jobs to our nation’s heroes.

“This is another example of out-of-the-box thinking by this President benefiting our nation’s Veterans.”