IRON MOUNTAIN—The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center will host  a Welcome Home event at the Medical Center here from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4, for veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF), Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and New Dawn (OND).

 All OEF/OIF/OND veterans, veterans of other eras, active duty service members, and their families are invited for a day of information on veteran’s benefits, services, and VA health care. Pizza and refreshments will be provided.
 VA personnel, Veteran Service officers and the VA Mobile Veteran Center will be available to discuss and answer questions related to veterans’ benefits and health care to include women’s health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), other behavioral health issues, education, home loans, and federal employment opportunities to name a few.
 Veterans will also receive assistance in enrolling for VA health care.
 “We are pleased to welcome home our combat veterans and help them reintegrate into their communities and civilian life,” said Kathy Truax, OEF/OIF/OND program manager at the VA Medical Center.
 “It is also a great opportunity for all veterans in the area to come and check out what the VA has to offer,” said Truax.
 Service officers from different veterans’ organizations and Dickinson County will be there.
 “It provides us another opportunity for service officers like me to reach out to our veterans on the compensation and pension benefits and the changes to those benefits.” said Chuck Lantz, director of the Office of Veteran Affairs serving Dickinson County.
 “The veterans often are not briefed upon discharge of all the VA benefits and entitlements, so it is our job as service officers to reach out to those veterans,” said Lantz.
 Questions regarding the Welcome Home Event may be directed to Kathy Truax at (906) 774-3300, ext. 32708.