City Council Declares National Salute to Veteran Patients Week for Feb. 14-20

City Council declared the week of February 14-20, 2021 National Salute to Veteran Patients Week at their meeting on February 8.

During the week, the Department of Veterans Affairs will honor veteran men and women who are hospitalized in medical centers, clinics, and facilities nationwide.

The proclamation states that more than 9 million veterans are cared for by the Department of Veteran Affairs in hospitals, outpatient clinics and nursing homes.

To honor the proclamation, people are encouraged to visit, volunteer, or donate to veterans in care facilities and hospitals throughout the country.

Mayor Drew Bessinger commented that he had the privilege of being part of several activities for this event last year.

“As a US Army veteran and a son of a WWII POW and Purple Heart recipient, I know the sacrifice the men and women in uniform have made.” Bessinger said.

Bessinger also mentioned because of the recent COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s event is going to be different. He said there will be a PSA of him presenting the proclamation to the veterans.

Jorge Rodriguez has a passion for journalism and wants to bring the community information and great stories. After high school Jorge joined the U.S. Army and while in active duty he was deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While in college he worked for the Fresno City College Rampage and the Fresno State Collegian newspapers. He graduated from Fresno State in 2019 with a degree in print journalism.