De Blasio Names Retired Brigadier General Loree Sutton to Lead Veterans’ Affairs
The New York Observer reports:
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that Loree Sutton, a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and psychiatrist, will serve as the city’s next Commissioner of Veterans’ Affairs.
Ms. Sutton served in the military for more than 20 years, deploying to places including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Egypt in support of the first Gulf War and other missions. She also founded the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury in 2007, running it as the Army’s top psychiatrist before retiring from the military in 2010.
In announcing her appointment, Mr. de Blasio made reference to the national crisis surrounding gridlock in federal Veterans’ Affairs hospitals and access to mental health services, and spoke personally about his own father’s struggles in the aftermath of losing half his leg during World War II.
Brig. Gen. Sutton was formerly the highest ranking psychiatrist in the U.S. Army and was featured in the Academy Award nominated The Invisible War. Last year, Sutton announced her support for reforming the justice system through the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA), and has consistently been a staunch advocate for victims, and we look forward to her continued advocacy in her new role.
