How Faith Has Guided Doug Collins From Pastor to Army Chaplain to VA Secretary

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins didn’t always want to be a politician, but he has long had a desire to serve others. The 58-year-old native of Gainesville, Georgia, chose pastoral ministry as his first career. Thirty years later, he finds himself leading the sprawling government agency that serves more than 17 million veterans of the U.S. armed forces. On Feb. 5, Collins became the 12th secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, a Cabinet-level position that makes him one of 15 key advisers to President Donald Trump. The road between those two positions included more than 25 years as a military chaplain, a tour in Iraq, graduation from law school, and multiple terms as a state and federal lawmaker....