Community steps up for Veterans Stand Down

SANDPOINT — It started with a warm hello.

Then veterans and their families entered the Bonner County Fairgrounds main exhibit hall Saturday and the first Veterans Stand Down in the area began in earnest.

From Veterans Administration officials to medical services, representatives of the different agencies were on hand to talk with veterans, answer questions and get them the services they have earned, said Bonner County Veterans Services’ Don Carr.

“We had one veteran needing medical care come in,” Carr said. “He sat down with a representative and we enrolled him immediately.

“In a matter of minutes, he had health services and a referral to the VA medical center.”

That, Carr said, is exactly why the stand down was held — helping veterans and getting them the services they need and have earned.

By putting the services and veterans in the same place, and providing immediate enrollment, those otherwise reluctant or embarrassed will sign up, he added.

In addition to services, Carr said the stand down secured a shipment of surplus Army equipment for veterans to take home. Everything from sweaters to Army boots, sleeping bags to backpacks and more were piled high into refrigerator-sized boxes that lined the inside of the exhibit hall from one end to the other.

Sixteen Army National Guard members from the Sandpoint detachment held their drill weekend during the stand down, Carr said. That enabled them to be on hand to help set things up and clean up the following day.

“They’re young, strong and energetic,” Carr said. “The veterans can relate to them, to the young soldiers. The guard members in return are very respectful. They get it.”

By noon, more than 400 veterans and their families had gone through the half-dozen or so stations, selecting everything from surplus sleeping bags and clothes to stocking up on groceries. By the end of the day, another several hundred had stopped by.

In addition, veterans could sign up for needed services, including medical care and employment counseling and get help with VA claims. Volunteers also offered free haircuts and massages to veterans and scouts from Boy Scout Troop 140 and Pack 140 helped get items out of boxes and push shopping carts to veterans’ cars.

The stand down saw veterans from all wars, from World War II to Korea and Vietnam to the gulf wars and Afghanistan.

While Saturday’s stand down was the first in Bonner County, organizers said it won’t be the last — and are already organizing next year’s event.