Close to 1,000 VA spiritual care providers, called chaplains, serve our nation’s Veterans, their families, caregivers, and VA employees. In this video, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough, pays tribute to VA chaplains—selfless servants who serve all Veterans—those who hold religious or spiritual beliefs and those who do not. Secretary McDonough recounts, during one of his first site visits of his tenure, running into one of those VA chaplains at the St. Cloud, Minnesota VA. He didn’t recognize the chaplain at first, but this VA chaplain knew Secretary McDonough from his time as an undergraduate at St. John’s University. The chaplain recounted to the Secretary, “VA's respect for all Veterans fit his Benedictine heritage and values perfectly. Every Veteran is seen as a person, he said, worthy of the highest level of respect and care because of having said yes to serving our country. Whether you are a person of faith or not, this tribute will help you appreciate that VA chaplains uphold the dignity of every person they encounter; they care for all Veterans with compassion, love, and grace.