Battle Creek VA Medical Center to mark centennial

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — The Battle Creek V.A. Medical Center is gearing up to celebrate 100 years of service later this week.

The Veterans Affairs medical center began as a 675-acre portion near Camp Custer and was converted into a hospital campus with a focus on caring for veterans. The project was completed in 1924 and had 22 buildings for a capacity of 500 patients.

Medical center leaders are marking its centennial on Tuesday, Oct. 15, with a hot air balloon display from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., food trucks and a resource fair expected to connect visitors with community veteran services and organizations. Visitors can take a walk through history with a display of historical and modern military vehicles and classic cars.

A street circle in the campus is expected to be dedicated in honor of Michigan Medal of Honor recipient Jim McCloughan. The Vietnam War veteran was awarded the distinction when as a combat medic, he rescued multiple service members during a fire fight and ambush, according to Army officials. McCloughan himself was injured during the engagement but still worked to get fellow soldiers to safety.

An official for the medical center said the milestone is an example of the dedication to serving those who had served.

“We want to be here to serve veterans once they are done with their military service. And we serve veterans across of 21 counties in southwest and West Michigan with outpatient clinics in Wyoming, Benton Harbor, Muskegon, Lansing and we service patients in this location as well,” said Brian Pegouske.

Celebrations kick off at 8 a.m. Tuesday Oct. 15 with the street ceremony at 1 p.m. Veterans who are not already registered with the Veterans Affairs are invited to bring their discharge paperwork.

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