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The department was not immediately available for comment and
McDonald's statement was not published on its website.
He was in Los Angeles last month speaking to a homeless man
during a campaign to identify vagrant veterans when he made the
comment, ABC News reported citing a statement from the
Secretary.
"I asked the man where he had served in the military," McDonald
said, according to ABC News. "He responded that he had served in
special forces. I incorrectly stated that I had been in special
forces. That was inaccurate and I apologize to anyone that was
offended by my misstatement."
McDonald, who served with the 82nd Airborne Division and earned
the U.S. Army Ranger tab, was nominated by President Barack
Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate last July, according to
the VA website. He was formerly the CEO of Proctor & Gamble Co.
Brian Williams, the anchor of NBC's top-rated "Nightly News"
program, was suspended without pay two weeks ago after
acknowledging a story he told about coming under fire on a
helicopter during the Iraq war was not true.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco)
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