<Begin Segment 22>

AI: Now, when you, yourself, received your own letter of apology and your redress check in the mail, what was your reaction?

PB: Well, like I said, I knew that I had lost much more than what I got. But I felt that there are other people that were doing, in the same way. I did not use that money for my own personal use, because I felt that there were other ways to use the money for the benefit of a lot of people. So most of my people, I donated out to different charities and things because I really didn't, by the time I got that money, did not need that. As you know, when I resigned from the commission, President Reagan knew that I was in Washington, D.C., and asked me if I would go over to the Veterans Administration and help run that. So economically I didn't need the money at that particular time. Now there's a lot of other people might have. But because of that situation and because I was part of getting the check, I felt that I shouldn't enjoy it and spend it foolishly. So I used it in donating to areas that I felt would much more, needy and useful.

AI: Well, now as you mentioned, even while you were working on the commission, you were being recruited to go to the Veterans Administration.

PB: Right.

AI: And the veterans, issues of veterans was something that you had been involved with for decades at this point. And I understand that you were recruited to head the Memorial Affairs Department?

PB: Yes. Department...

AI: Is that right?

PB: The Veterans Administration is composed of three large departments. The Veterans Administration, incidentally, is the second largest governmental agency in the federal government, surpassed only by the military, and -- the military, army, navy, coast guard, marines. So the Veterans Administration, with hundreds of thousands of employees, has a hospital which is one of the biggest hospital chains and health care agencies in the world. And they employ thousands and thousands of people. They also have a department which makes home loans, takes care of insurance for veterans, things of this nature. That's one other department. Then the third department of which I was the head of is called the Department of Memorial Affairs. We have in this country and overseas too, about a hundred and some cemeteries that we have, we took over from the military originally, but in which all those who have died in battle or served in the military are buried and have the right to be buried, including their families. And so that was my job. I, the commission was on one side of the White House, and my job at the Veterans Administration was right across from, on Vermont Avenue, right across from the White House. So I was in touch with the president and his staff. It was a job that I enjoyed because I was doing things again for people that I had served with. I felt that I was doing something for my buddies and for people that needed the help. And so each day that I, and I didn't spend all my time in Washington, D.C. there, because my job took me around to many areas. Our facilities were in Alaska. Of course, we had two big cemeteries up there in Sitka and Anchorage. Our, one of our very famous ones, of course, is Punch Bowl in Hawaii. We had other ones overseas that was run by another agency. But in the United States in every state, we had cemeteries which were very busy and took care of the veterans. And as the veterans' age is now increasing, our job was even more so. And so to say that I enjoyed doing it, yes. I thought that I was doing a government job which we were obligated and said we would do. Each time I would visit a cemetery, and I visited all of them, some of them more than once or twice on my job, but I felt very much that it was a necessary part of the federal government to take care of those who were deceased.

Now, subsequent to that, I have retired from the Veterans Administration. But I still feel the same way, and I'm now running around the country on behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. And I represent the State of California in Washington, D.C., the Veterans of Foreign Wars. So, I'm still looking out for my buddies that I served with, so that the benefits that they're entitled to for having given up their time and many of them sacrificing not only their time but maybe a life, or limb, or whatever, that they will be looked after and that whatever they're entitled to, the government law says they're entitled to, I will see to it that they're, that they will get that. And so that's my job, and so I still get a certain amount of satisfaction of doing what I feel is my duty.

AI: So you retired from the Veterans Administration, and that was in 1986?

PB: Yes.

AI: Is that right? 1986. And now still representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

PB: Right.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.