On Friday, October 7th Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City, TN underwent quite the transformation. The parking lot held buses and trailers for dental care and showers. The Sunday School classes were filled with supplies. The parlor became an x-ray room, and the gym housed over 50 local vendors. The kitchen bustled with people working to prepare a hot meal for two hundred people and red, white and blue decorations and American flags flew everywhere you looked. Before the doors opened, a line led well out into the parking lot, filled with individuals waiting their turn to get in.
Around the nation, the VA (U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs) holds events called "Stand Downs" for at-risk veterans to receive some of the help they need. According to merriam-webster.com, stand down is "a relaxation of status of a military unit or force from an alert or operational posture." Stand Down is a fitting name for an event that allows homeless and at-risk veterans to take a break from the stress of living on the margins for a time.
The first Stand Down was in San Diego in 1988. In the fall of 2012, a local group started in Johnson City wanting to bring Stand Down to the veterans of the Tricities TN area. This group was headed by those at Mountain Home VA who work with the homeless, and Munsey eagerly offered to host the event that year and has continued to every year since.
Over 150 veterans visit Munsey every year for this event to receive clothing, dental care, health screenings, legal advice, and career services. This year was no exception with 174 veterans in attendance being aided by 50 vendors and many more volunteers. A hot meal and entertainment is also part of the day's experience and everyone who walks through the doors are greeted by those who seek to help them.
Johnson City is just one of the many places that Stand Downs can be found happening around the country. It is a massive project to care for our at-risk veterans, those who sacrificed so much of themselves to serve our country and have now fallen on hard times. It is humbling to see these men and women gathered together, waiting for something as simple as a dental check or a new pair of shoes.
If you would like to learn more about this program or find a Stand Down location near you, visit http://www.va.gov/homeless/events.asp.
