Correspondent photo / John Patrick Gatta ... Korean War veteran Charles Griffin, left, talks to Patrick Witt during the inaugural Vets Fest on Saturday at the Carl Nunziato Youngstown VA Clinic. Griffin served on the battleship USS New Jersey. He said his grandfather fought in the Civil War.

YOUNGSTOWN — Recently, Memorial Day honored veterans who didn’t make it home from battle.

On Saturday afternoon, the inaugural Vets Fest at the Carl Nunziato Veterans Affairs Clinic on Belmont Avenue saluted those who did with an event to help them have better lives now that they are out of uniform.

“I think everybody who serves is why I can be the mayor of this great city, for the freedoms we have,” said Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown. “I have family and friends who’ve been in the military, and I want to make sure, as mayor, I’m a friend to the vets. I want to be educated and figure out how to help them.”

Like everyone at Vets Fest, Brown was there to enjoy himself as well as become informed.

“I’m gonna get around. I can see the resources. So, when someone calls my office, I know which way to direct them, and I know people they can make connections with.”

Regarding the debut of Vets Fest, Youngstown VA Clinic Director Carl Schneider said, “It was started last year at some of the other outpatient clinics in the Northeast (Ohio) VA Healthcare System, and it turned out to be a great event. They wanted to expand this celebration to all the outpatient clinics to thank our veterans and provide resources.”

With free food, live music by No Funk No Justice, children’s activities and face painting, the fest became a fun day out for the vets and their families in addition to offering information by organizations dedicated to helping the military community through access to VA health care representatives, VA health care sign-ups and support services for veterans and their families.

“This is an opportunity for veterans to learn more about what VA health care has to offer,” Schneider said. “This also allows veterans to ask about the potential services they need. It also connects them to other community resources that they might be unaware of.”

He added, “The importance of the VA in Youngstown is to provide local services to veterans and keep them connected to health care in our area. Continuity of care allows us to better serve the veterans.”

Navy veteran Mark Beil of Youngstown related how he worked with the Train a Dog, Save a Warrior (TADSAW) program in order to have a service dog aid him with his post-traumatic stress disorder.

“One good thing about TADSAW is you and your dog go to training at the same time,” Beil said.

Both he and his dog received that with a TADSAW member twice a week over six-plus months.

Beil related that he even trained his Labrador hound, Ace, to wake him during episodes of sleep apnea.

Helping the body and the mind is a priority. Services provided at the local VA clinic include art and music therapy.

Creative Arts Therapist (Music) Karen Olean explained that, “Music therapy is a really wonderful outlet for creative expression. It is something that veterans can connect to, even if they have no prior experience with music. You’re using music techniques in order to work on non-musical goals. So, it can be really great through receptive, recreative, compositional and improvisational techniques in music therapy.

“I can use those to help them feel grounded, to decrease their stress, to manage PTSD symptoms, to decrease anxiety and additional coping skills through music therapy in their life.”

Olean works with vets in group and individual sessions at the VA clinic as well as online appointments.

Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission Executive Director and 25-year Army veteran Susan Krawchyk attended with members of her staff. Together, they answered veterans’ questions and introduced them to its mobile office, a Ford van with a 16-foot box on the back.

Like many of the nearly 20 tables set up, the service commission aimed to let vets know of assistance for them.

“We want to let them know who we are, where we’re located, what services we offer, whether it’s VA benefits or county benefits. We’re all county employees, but all the service officers are accredited with the VA.

“We can do claims for the veterans and widows. We also offer county benefits and financial assistance if you’re out of work for whatever reason or you can’t pay your rent. We can bridge that gap, so you don’t become homeless. We have a utility program for low-income veterans and widows, and we have a burial benefit they may be eligible for.”

Asked about the difference between the VA Clinic and the Services Commission, she said, “We work as a partnership helping veterans have a better life, get the benefits that they’re eligible for and apply for VA Healthcare. That’s why we’re building the facility right across the street from the clinic.”

Krawchyk pointed across the VA clinic’s parking lot to a former grocery store in the process of transforming to become the new Veterans Services Commission building in October.

“Our office will now be located right across the street. We’ll have a veterans’ campus of care. So, it’ll be a one-stop shop. You can come for health care, and then you can also come across the street for benefits that you may not know about or if you’re eligible for anything. We’re there to answer those questions for you.”