Dr. Daniel Gade is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, professor, and author of “Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy Is Making Veterans Sicker and Poorer”. During more than 20 years of military service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts.

In 2004, his unit deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He led his unit of 150 soldiers on many combat missions, was wounded by enemy fire twice, and was decorated for valor. His second combat wounding caused his entire right leg to be amputated, and he spent the next year in the hospital, enduring more than 40 surgeries.

A year to the day after his injuries, he started his Master of Public Administration, and later went on to earn a PhD in public administration and policy. He served in President George W. Bush’s administration while on active duty, working on veteran issues and military healthcare, and has since served on several national-level policy councils, including the National Council on Disability and the VA Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation. After leaving active duty, he was a Trump administration appointee at the Department of Labor-VETS.

He is also the co-founder of The Independence Project, a multi-year randomized control trial that demonstrated that veterans who are properly transitioned from military service and incentivized in their employment will have higher earnings and better physical and mental health outcomes than those strictly relying on disability benefits.