South Carolina governor nominates new Veterans' Affairs director

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South Carolina will soon undergo a change of command at the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday nominated retired Maj. Gen. Todd McCaffrey to head one of the state's newest cabinet agencies. The U.S. Military Academy graduate is expected to replace outgoing Secretary William Grimsley, who will leave his post by end of February after becoming the first leader of the department created in April 2019.

"I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve by supporting fellow veterans," McCaffrey said Tuesday at a press conference. "I pledge I will do all I can to ensure that their service is valued, their access to benefits is assured and their remarkable potential to our communities and state is recognized."

McCaffrey's nomination follows a 34-year career with the U.S. Army, where he served as the U.S. Africa Command's chief of staff. He spent one year as the University of South Carolina's senior director of strategic partnership for government and military programs and also founded a consulting company that has worked with the Department of Defense, higher education and nonprofits.

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Retired Maj. Gen. Todd McCaffrey speaks at a news conference on Feb. 7, 2023, in Columbia, South Carolina. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

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Sen. Katrina Shealy, who chairs the Family and Veterans’ Services Committee, expressed confidence Tuesday that the Senate would swiftly confirm McCaffrey.

The governor thanked Grimsley on Tuesday for his three years overseeing the agency tasked with advocating statewide for veterans and connecting them with benefits. Grimsley assumed the position after state Rep. Bobby Cox was found ineligible under a state law preventing lawmakers from running agencies created during their term.

Grimsley served in the Army for 33 years, finishing his military career as senior commander at Fort Hood, Texas, and chief of staff of the United States Strategic Command.

"I've spent most of my adult professional life in service," Grimsley said Tuesday. "But now it's time to place my family first — probably for the first time in my life as well — to ensure that I don't miss all those ballgames, birthdays, school events and other things with our grandsons that I missed with my sons."