
A Sacred Duty
(Paula Pedene) was a 20-year employee at the hospital who oversaw everything from news releases to the hospital newsletter to the annual Veterans Day parade. In 2010, Pedene joined a group that complained to VA’s upper management about the Phoenix hospital’s director. They alleged that the director had allowed budget shortfalls and berated subordinates. And it seemed to work. VA’s inspector general investigated and found an $11 million shortfall in the hospital’s budget. The director retired voluntarily. ‘I felt we had actually done the right thing,’ Pedene said. But that turned out to be the beginning of her troubles, not the end.

David Fahrenthold Aug. 3, 2014

David Fahrenthold Aug. 3, 2014
Who is Paula Pedene?
- Founder and Executive Director of Honoring America's Veterans (nonprofit)
- Retired, Award-Winning Public Affairs Officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs
- Founder, Veterans Medical Leadership Council (nonprofit)
- Award-Winning Author - A Sacred Duty, How a Whistleblower Took On the VA and Won


“At Honoring America’s Veterans, our goal is simple.
We strive to honor and recognize our veterans through community events. It’s our way of saying thank you to them for the sacrifices they made to defend our freedoms.”
Brian Ishmael, HAV Board President
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