Is He a Veteran or Is He Not? The Confusing Career of Daniel Gade

By Theresa Aldrich and Suzanne Gordon

On Wednesday October 29th, Daniel Gade, former Commissioner of the state of Virginia’s Department of Veterans Services, appeared before a hearing of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs entitled “Putting Veterans First: Is the Current VA Disability System Keeping its Promises?” The chair of the committee, Senator Jerry Moran (R. KS) introduced Gade as a “service connected, disabled veteran and vocal advocate for changing the current disability system to better serve veterans and support their long-term well-being.”

In the hearing, Gade was included on a panel of veterans’ disability experts which included representatives of The Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). As Republican senators respectfully questioned Gade, they clearly regarded him as an expert on disability issues. This expertise was grounded on his status as a “war hero,” who had sacrificed for his country by losin…