For 10 years, organizations lobbied the federal government to put a Vet Center in Modesto.
On Thursday, the Modesto Vet Center finally was christened in an office building at 1219 N. Carpenter Road.
"It is a long time coming," said Roy Santiago, commander of the American Legion's 12th District, which oversees posts in Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced counties, and whose members wrote letters supporting the campaign.
"We have close to 30,000 veterans living in our area. The need is here for this center," Santiago said.
The Modesto center, which started counseling combat veterans in borrowed office space in December, already has assisted about 400 people, the Legion official said. The center's eight-member staff is set up to serve combat veterans and their families from the Northern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra foothills.
Congress established the community-based centers in 1979 for Vietnam veterans who were struggling with many issues after returning home from combat.
In the 1990s, the government extended the services to combat veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Persian Gulf War. The Department of Veterans Affairs selected Modesto for one of the 23 new centers as soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
It's the first Vet Center to open in California since the Chico center opened in 1995.
Director Steve Lawson said the center helps returning combat veterans deal with the effects of war, post-traumatic stress disorder and adjustment to civilian life. It also assists family members of soldiers killed in action and provides referrals for veterans needing substance abuse counseling or employment assistance.
The Vet Centers strive to create an informal atmosphere in which clients feel comfortable mingling with other veterans.
"It is where we can all come to readjust," said Derek McGinnis, an Iraq veteran who suffered a severe brain injury and had his left leg amputated. He was a keynote speaker at Thursday's grand opening.
"Everyone at the center is part of the culture where we understand each other's language," he said.
About 250 attended the center opening, including community members, members of veterans organizations, Veterans Affairs staff and elected officials.
Jennifer Tyson of Modesto said there was no place to go for bereavement counseling after the December 2004 death of her son, Marine Cpl. Michael Anderson, the first serviceman from Stanislaus County killed in the Iraq war. She shared her grief with members of the Blue Star Mothers chapter, she said.
Tyson said she's still interested in talking with a therapist about her sudden mood changes. The center should be a place where grieving family members can support each other, she said. "It lets you know it's OK to grieve. You are not alone," she said.
Theresa Villarreal of Modesto said she is glad the center is there for her son and other returning veterans if they need it. Army Spc. David Villarreal is serving a 15-month tour in Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Military personnel are serving multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, making them more prone to bouts with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"A lot of them are going two or three times," Theresa Villarreal said. "I think this center is a great asset."
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or 578-2321.
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