[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 132 (Thursday, September 8, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       IN HONOR OF THE WESTSIDE VET CENTER'S FREEDOM CELEBRATION

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 8, 2011

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Westside Vet 
Center's Freedom Celebration, taking place on September 8, 2011.
  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Westside Vet Center, located 
in Parma, Ohio, offers a wide range of programs and services to 
veterans and their families in an effort to ease the transition between 
military and civilian life. The Vet Center Program began following the 
Vietnam War when veterans were experiencing difficulties readjusting to 
civilian life. The goal of the Vet Center program is ``to provide a 
broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to eligible 
veterans in order to help them make a satisfying post-war readjustment 
to civilian life.''
  In addition to providing care and counseling to Greater Cleveland 
area veterans, the Westside Vet Center also hosts a wide array of 
gatherings and celebrations to honor the service of these brave 
Americans. Today, the Westside Vet Center is hosting a Freedom 
Celebration, an event designed to celebrate the veteran's role in 
maintaining our freedoms.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the Westside 
Vet Center's Freedom Celebration, as they commemorate the service of 
the Greater Cleveland area's U.S. veterans.

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