Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — The U.S. Senate has adopted legislation to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Youngstown after Vietnam veteran Carl Nunziato of Boardman.

Congressman Tim Ryan, D-Howland, introduced the legislation last year.

“When my name goes on that building, I want it to represent not me but the entirety of Vietnam veterans and the returning veterans of World War II and Korea,” Nunziato said when the measure was approved by the U.S. House in September. “Together, we paved the way not just for veterans with disabilities but for all Americans with disabilities.”

“Major Carl Nunziato is a true American hero and represents the very best of Ohio. From serving two tours in Vietnam to fighting for veterans and disabled rights, Carl has dedicated his life to serving our country,” Ryan said in a news release.

“The renaming of the Youngstown VA Clinic in honor of Major Carl Nunziato is the right way to honor a man who did so much to help his fellow veterans,” said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in the joint news release.

“Carl Nunziato is a true son of Ohio and an American patriot who deserves this honor,” said U.S. Sen. Rob Portman in the news release. “I’m proud that my Senate colleagues passed this important legislation to name the Veterans Affairs clinic after Major Nunziato.”

Nunziato lost his legs in 1966 while in Operation Adelborough during which about 10,000 soldiers conducted a 10-week sweep into a war zone between Saigon (the former capital of South Vietnam) and the Cambodian border. After pushing the enemy out of the region at the end of the operation, Nunziato ran across a field to get to an armored personnel carrier when a mortar shell blew up about 2 feet from him. That resulted in the amputation of both legs.

When he returned home, he studied law and earned his degree in 1971 from the Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law. He was instrumental in getting the current clinic at 2031 Belmont Ave. built in 1991 and the new, larger facility at 1815 Belmont Ave., about a half-mile from the existing location.

Nunziato also has been involved in making sure buildings in the area are accessible to those with wheelchairs, and, in May 2018, the Veterans Resource Center at Youngstown State University was named for him.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced in July 2019 that it had signed a $24.75 million, 20-year lease for a new VA clinic. The new facility will be 40,561 square feet with the clinic taking up 38,319 square feet and another tenant leasing the remaining space. The current clinic is 25,846 square feet.

The facility provides primary, mental health and specialty care to more than 10,500 veterans each year. It is among 18 VA locations in northeast Ohio.

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