It's one brother at a time for the VA.
John W. "Jack" Nicholson, undersecretary for memorial affairs at the Veterans Affairs Department, has stepped down from his job to make way for his younger brother, Jim Nicholson, the president's choice to head the VA.
The White House, playing it safe in case anyone raised the issue of nepotism, informed Jack Nicholson that he would have to move on.
 
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"I don't want to do anything that would cause Jim to feel the least bit troubled as he takes on this new assignment," Nicholson said. He plans to be in the audience this morning when Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) convenes the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee for Jim Nicholson's confirmation hearing.
"I would be remiss if I didn't say I liked my job," Jack Nicholson added. "I feel very good about the way that things are going here." He praised the 1,600 employees who operate the nation's veterans cemeteries, saying they have shown "caring, dedication and compassion" for veterans' families.
In December, he noted, the VA's National Cemetery Administration received the highest score among federal agencies participating in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which tracks trends and provides benchmarks for comparing customer service.
While he and his brother have tried to do their best -- both are graduates of West Point, both served in the Army and went to Vietnam and both have advanced degrees -- Jack Nicholson said sibling rivalry never took root in their family.
"We have always been very competitive with life itself but never to the detriment of anyone in our family," he said.
Jim Nicholson was nominated by President Bush in December to replace Anthony J. Principi as secretary of veterans affairs. The VA has more than 230,000 employees, making it one of the government's largest agencies. Jim Nicholson has served as ambassador to the Vatican for the last three years. He also has served as chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Jack Nicholson took his post in April 2003, and his last day at the VA was Friday. He said he looks forward to serving the president in another capacity.
"As I told other members of the family who expressed concern and questions, I said, 'Get over it.' I'm going to go to that next job and do the best I can," Nicholson said.
Retirements
Judith Breeding, a budget analyst in the directorate of resource management at the Army Corps of Engineers' Transatlantic Programs Center in Winchester, Va., retired Dec. 31 after 38 years of service.
Robert Eppley, a research chemist at the Food and Drug Administration for more than 40 years, retired Jan. 3. He worked on developing methods to identify naturally occurring toxins in food products.
Jacob "Jack" Feldman, special counsel in the office of the associate chief counsel (international) at the Internal Revenue Service, retired Dec. 31 after 32 years of service. In 1988-89, while on detail from the IRS as a visiting professor at the DePaul University College of Law, Feldman was selected as best professor of the academic year.
Frances Holt, director of a cooperative research program with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, retired Dec. 31 after 41 years of service with NOAA and its predecessor organizations.
Paul A. Larson, special adviser for economics for the Federal Aviation Administration, retired Dec. 31 after 41 years of federal service, all with the FAA.
William Mattson, program analysis officer at the Air Force (deputy chief of staff/air and space operations), retired Jan. 3 after more than 35 years of federal service.
Richard L. Moreno, assistant to the chief, office of management control, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, has retired after 30 years of federal service.
Tom G. Morgan, who advised on fiscal law issues for the Defense Department, retired Dec. 31 after more than 28 years of service to the department's office of general counsel.
Darrel R. Swanson, an audit program manager responsible for audits of the Federal Crop Insurance Corp. and the Risk Management Agency, has retired after 38 years with the Agriculture Department office of inspector general.
E-mail: barrs@washpost.com
