From the PR department to my inbox and now on to you ('cause you know I'm semi-lazy and this is just the best I can do).
NAPABA Applauds the Nomination of General Coral Wong Pietsch to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
WASHINGTON - The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds President Obama for nominating Brigadier General Coral Wong Pietsch, USA (Ret) to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. If confirmed, General Pietsch would be the first Asian Pacific American to sit on that court. General Pietsch delivered the 2003 NAPABA convention keynote address in Hawaii.
"We are proud to see another first in Asian Pacific American history with the nomination of General Pietsch," said Paul O. Hirose, President of NAPABA. "She has been a trailblazer in every step of her career, and we are confident that she will continue to distinguish herself as the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims."
General Pietsch was born in Waterloo, Iowa, to a Chinese immigrant father from Canton, China who had come to the United States to start a Chinese restaurant. She currently serves as the Senior Civilian Attorney and Special Assistant in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate for the U.S. Army Pacific. She is a retired Brigadier General in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, where she was an active duty member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps from 1974 to 1980. While a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, she was promoted to Brigadier General and became the first female General officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps as well as the first female Asian American General officer in the U.S. Army. She holds a B.A. from the College of St. Teresa, an M.A. from Marquette University, and a J.D. from the Catholic University of America.
Established under Article I of the Constitution, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has exclusive national jurisdiction to provide independent, federal, judicial oversight and review of final decisions of the Board of Veterans' Appeals. Judges are confirmed by the U.S. Senate and serve for a 15-year term.
NAPABA congratulates General Pietsch on her historic nomination and thanks President Obama for nominating her.
