PARMA, Ohio – Marine Week is almost here – and local organizations couldn’t help but get a jumpstart on the celebration.
The Cleveland VA kicked off the week with its annual Welcome Home Celebration in Parma, honoring returning combat veterans.
“As the veterans come back, we recognize their service and we thank them for all they do for us and all they’ve done for us to protect us in this great country,” said Rep. Jim Rinacee, of Ohio’s 16th district.
The fifth-annual event focused on introducing veterans with local services to help them transition back to civilian life.
“It’s important to connect with our veterans,” said Charine Zsalduko, of the Ohio Veterans of Foreign Wars. “We just want to make sure everybody feels welcome. That they really are appreciated for their sacrifices.”
Zsalduko served in the Army in tours in Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
After 11 years of service, she said it was difficult for her to admit she needed help. Now, she wants to connect veterans—especially women—with the resources available to them.
“Medical, emotional, financial, there are resources out there but you have to ask cause there’s no way they know who everybody is.” Zsalduko said. “It took me a long time to swallow my pride and say ‘yes, I do need help and this is where I need to be.’”
Throughout the year, dozens of local organizations like the VA offer services to help veterans.
But perhaps the biggest challenge is to get those service men and women to take advantage of these programs, said Patricia Hall of the Cleveland VA.
“Fifty percent of our returning (Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Fredom and Operation and New Dawn) veterans are taking advantage of the services at the VA, so that leaves another 50 percent out there that we haven’t reached yet. And this is one way of doing that,” Hall said.
For more information on the Cleveland VA, go to www.cleveland.va.gov