While many people are disappointed Veterans Affairs Administration head Bob McDonald misrepresented his military record, support for the work he accomplished in Cincinnati remains strong.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald publicly apologized Tuesday after taking heat for falsely claiming he served in the military’s special forces while meeting a homeless veteran last month.

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald is admitting he erred in claiming during a conversation with a homeless veteran that he served in the U.S. After leaving P&G in 2013, McDonald helped mentor entrepreneurs and helped raise millions for two of Cincinnati’s most iconic institutions.

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McDonald was named leader of a philanthropic task force created to raise money to repair Cincinnati’s historic structures in early 2014. said the work he did is still etched in his mind.

“His work in the philanthropic community has been extraordinary,” Sinclaire said.

Sinclaire, an investment banker, took over the Cultural Facilities Task Force when McDonald left to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.

“I’ve been in contact with him, and he’s been helpful,” Sinclaire said. “I think he’s a man of incredible character and integrity and obviously under a lot of stress.”

That stress has been magnified by McDonald’s misrepresentation of his military service, erroneously claiming he served in the military’s Special Forces. McDonald served five years in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and qualified as an Army Ranger, but did not serve in a Ranger regiment, and was never part of the Special Forces.

Sinclaire said the fact McDonald has apologized speaks volumes.

“He stepped up to the plate.