Gov. John deJongh Jr. appointed Harry Daniel, an army and police veteran and member of the St. Thomas/St. John Board of Elections to lead the V.I. Office of Veterans Affairs, Government House announced Wednesday.
The appointment, which was effective Aug. 23, does not require Senate confirmation or a swearing in ceremony, according to Government House.
DeJongh said Daniel is guiding several projects and outreach efforts that will improve the lives of those who have served their country.
Daniel, who served as the office’s assistant director, will helm the agency responsible for helping the territory’s veterans access health care, job training services and the benefits they have earned through their military service. He has held the position in an acting capacity since Morris Moorhead resigned the position last year.
“Harry Daniel embodies the tremendous tradition of service we associate with so many dedicated and patriotic Virgin Islanders of his generation," deJongh said in a statement. "He understands the needs and struggles of his fellow veterans and his diverse life experiences make him an ideal candidate to represent those who have worn the nation’s uniform and ensure they receive the benefits and services that are due to them,” deJongh said.
Daniel graduated from Charlotte Amalie High School in 1966, and then served two years with the U.S. Army. He joined the V.I. Police Department a year after his discharge from military service, leaving VIPD as a sergeant in 1992.
Daniel is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Military Police Academy and the Federal Law Enforcement Academy. From 1976 to 2002 he was a member of the Virgin Islands Army National Guard.
Daniel has also served as a special assistant to Delegate Donna M. Christensen, a family assistance center specialist for the National Guard, and chief ranger of the Virgin Islands National Park.
Daniel has chaired the V.I. Board of Education, sat on the University of the Virgin Islands Board of Trustees and was a member of the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee.
According to Government House, Daniel’s goals as director of Veterans Affairs include working with VI Equicare Inc. to recruit more medical providers to care for veterans in the Virgin Islands, to identify the territory’s homeless veterans, to continue a partnership with Methodist Outreach Training Services in providing housing assistance to veterans and their families, to work with the Taxicab Commission to formulate a better way of encouraging veterans to bid on medallions, and to begin work on funding projects to develop veterans cemeteries in both districts.
Daniel will receive the $80,000 salary budgeted for the position.
