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Veterans Affairs Secretary visits vets in Snowmass Village

The head of of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was in Snowmass Village Thursday. Secretary Robert McDonald visited vets at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic. Aspen Public Radio's Marci Krivonen reports.

Flanked by his handlers, V.A. Secretary Robert McDonald makes his way toward the Snowmass ski area where veterans are preparing to ski. He stops to speak with David Williams from Florida.

Williams is one of 300 severely disabled veterans in Snowmass this week. He was paralyzed below the waist while serving in the Navy. He describes his routine here.

"I pretty much wake up in the morning and put my name on the waitlist so I can go skiing more. That’s all I want to do is come out here and go skiing, that’s it!"

McDonald says skiing gives the vets confidence and gets muscles moving that aren’t used often.

"The work that we do for veterans who have these kinds of injuries and to be able to get them out like this, and skiing, and giving them a whole new purpose, is really remarkable," he says.

McDonald also praised the V.A. employees at work in Snowmass. He’s working to turn the agency around after news in 2013 revealed long wait times for vets needing care and corruption within the department. McDonald is the former CEO of Proctor and Gamble.