VA Butler Healthcare’s Community Living Center will be officially named after a local Vietnam veteran.
The Sergeant Joseph George Kusick VA Community Living Center will be formally named during a ceremony on Nov. 13 on the campus of VA Butler Healthcare in Butler Township.
“Sergeant Kusick was a true patriot, and I am honored that VA Butler Healthcare can play a small role in ensuring he is always remembered for his service and sacrifice,” VA Butler Director David P. Cord said in a statement Wednesday.
Sgt. Kusick, of Bruin, was assigned to the command and control detachment of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) of the Army during the Vietnam War. In December of 1967, Kusick was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in action. The citation to accompany the Silver Star Medal stated: “Kusick’s gallantry in action, at the cost of his life, was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.”
He died in November of 1967 while serving as a radio operator.
The naming ceremony will include a tribute to Sergeant Kusick, remarks by VA officials, a keynote address by U.S. Congressman Mike Kelly, and more. Following the ceremony, attendees may take a tour of the Community Living Center.
The mission of the VA’s 60-bed community living center is three-fold: to help vets maintain function and independence; to prevent declines in health; and to provide comfort at the end of life.
