IRON MOUNTAIN — Memorial Day is a little more than a week away and a time to remember and honor those who died protecting our freedoms while serving their country in uniform.

Since 1950, our nation has celebrated the third Saturday in May as Armed Forces Day. On Armed Forces Day, we salute our men and women who are still serving in uniform around the world to protect and preserve all we hold dear as Americans. The employees and volunteers at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center thank them for their service.

Armed Forces Day is a day to reflect on the strength of our military; however, it is strong because of the soldiers, sailors and airmen who do not work typical 9 to 5 jobs and are often separated from their families for months at a time. We owe them a debt of gratitude.

We at the VA are ready to serve these men and women when they take off their uniform, some of them wounded and scarred from defending our country.

We understand veterans and their health care concerns that are a result of their military service. Many of our employees and volunteers served in the military themselves.

One does not need to have served in combat or been wounded to be eligible for VA health care, which is a common misconception. I encourage all men and women who are separating from the military to apply for VA health care.

At our VA medical center, we offer primary care and mental health services, a women’s wellness clinic, home based primary care, outpatient surgical services, physical rehabilitation services, geriatric and long-term care, and over 40 other specialty care clinics. We are also a leader in rural health care delivery and employ state-of-the-art telehealth technology to expand health care access to our rural veterans.

For more information on VA benefits and eligibility and to apply online, veterans can go online to www.va.gov.