The man who was named acting Army secretary on March 2 has plenty of daunting tasks ahead: managing the service amid two grinding wars, overseeing billions of dollars in new programs, and perhaps most immediately, restoring trust in a troubled veterans' medical system.

But Preston M. "Pete" Geren may find the role somewhat familiar. It is the second time he has been tapped to be the interim top civilian leader of a service during turbulent times.

Geren was elevated to the temporary post from Army undersecretary by Defense Secretary Robert Gates after Army Secretary Francis Harvey resigned amid revelations that wounded troops were treated poorly at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

In 2005, Geren served as acting Air Force secretary from July to November, the fourth in a series of interim leaders appointed after James Roche resigned in January 2005. That string came to an end when Geren's successor, Michael Wynne, took office.

At the time, the service was still dealing with the aftermath of the proposed tanker-lease deal and the conviction of former service acquisition leader Darlene Druyun.

Geren became Army undersecretary on Feb. 21, 2006. He served as Harvey's deputy, senior adviser and occasional surrogate, and managed the service's annual budgets and supplemental requests.

He had previously been serving as special assistant to then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld starting in September 2001, with responsibilities for interagency initiatives, legislative affairs and special projects.

Geren came to Pentagon service after several years as a Fort Worth, Texas, businessman.

He also served as a U.S. congressman — a Democrat from Texas's 12th District — from 1989 to 1997. He represented the Fort Worth area, home to thousands of Lockheed Martin jobs, and served on the House Armed Services Committee.

Geren attended Georgia Tech from 1970 to 1973, received a B.A. from the University of Texas in 1974, and earned a law degree from the University of Texas Law School in 1978.

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