Vet Center does battle on behalf of troops

Vet Center does battle on behalf of troops
The Bakersfield Californian
Wednesday, Aug 10 2011

Last Updated Wednesday, Aug 10 2011

War on one side, Vernon Valenzuela on the other.

Hmm. My money's on Valenzuela.

Sure, war is tough. But Valenzuela has seen its horrors up close and spent the last 30 years learning the worst of its dirty, lingering tricks.

He's ready for battle and now he's got backup.

Valenzuela is director of the newly minted Bakersfield Vet Center, which focuses on helping combat veterans and their families pick up the pieces after the shooting stops.

Its grand opening will be September 24.

The "center" has actually been around since 2008. But then it was just Valenzuela in a borrowed cubby hole office in the Kern County Veterans Services building helping one veteran at a time.

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