Dover reservists volunteer for Vets' Stand Down

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Damien Taylor
  • 512 Airflift Wing Public Affairs

The Veterans Awareness Center Foundation hosted its 10th annual Delaware Veterans’ Stand Down Sept. 21 at Schutte Park in Dover, Delaware.

 

More than 150 organizations provided services such as medical, dental and legal services to Delaware veterans in need.

 

“Veterans once set off to serve their communities,” said Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Ford, 512th Maintenance Squadron superintendent and the event’s volunteer coordinator. “At the very least, we can enrich their lives by reconnecting with the communities that offered them up.”

 

As a volunteer, Ford, who is a Dover Air Force Base reservist, helped coordinate the logistics for this year’s Veterans’ Stand Down by putting together a team of volunteers with particular skills and mapping out the event’s layout. More than 30 base reservists volunteered for the stand down event.

 

Ford said he needed people with experience and confidence in the position they volunteered for, and a big focus this year was making sure organizations had adequate space for getting in front of veterans.

 

“Service providers want to help veterans but need assistance in getting in front of them,” said Ford. “They have thousands of brochures but no voice. This event is about bridging the two and making the connection.”

 

Ford said he’d seen the amount of veterans reached at the event grow from 75 in its first year to over 1,000 in the following years.

 

Michael Downs, who served as a U.S. Navy hospital coordinator from 2004 - 2012, and is the supervisor of enrollment services at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs agreed the event provided the needed platform for providers to connect with vets.

 

“Vets’ Stand Down is perfect for local veteran outreach,” said Downs. “We’re glad to be here to educate veterans on clinic locations and services. Our pamphlets always seem to run out. Being a veteran myself, I feel I have insight on knowing what they need.”

 

Downs added this was his second year as a service provider at the event, and he was looking forward to returning to speak with more veterans who attend from across the entire state of Delaware.

 

The VACF provided a shuttle to transport veterans from Wilmington to Dover to get the support they need.

 

Thomas Commander, a Wilmington resident who served as an Army medic from 1965 - 1967, said he enjoyed witnessing the state’s initiative to bring vets together.

 

“Vets’ Stand Down is effective, because it connects vets to services they don’t automatically receive when they leave the military,” said Commander. “They are not alone, and they don’t have to be.”

 

Commander said the event spurred conversations between veterans, helping them spark new friendships. He said it’s something that should be continued, because there are many vets in Delaware to reach.

 

According to the VA, the First State is home to more than 78,000 veterans.

 

Ford said for him, volunteering for events such as the Veterans’ Stand Down is about integrating veterans back into a circle of trust.

 

“On a personal level, I enjoy walking up to veterans and surprising them with a pat on a back, a smile and telling them I hope they got something out of the event,” said Ford. “You never know who you’re going to be a hero to.”