Cedar Rapids stands up during ‘Veterans Stand Down’ event

Gulf war veteran David Brown is treated to a free hair cut by Lee Fennern, owner of Lee's Family Barber in Atkins. Haircuts were just one of the services available for veterans at the annual Veterans Stand Down in Cedar Rapids on Friday.

If there was one common thread among the volunteers gathered at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Cedar Rapids Friday, it was simply that our nation’s veterans “deserve better than this.”

Roughly 50 veterans — some homeless and others nearly homeless — were offered free services ranging from dental and health exams to haircuts to survival kits. In addition to the veterans, the annual “Veterans Stand Down” event also serviced about 35 non-veterans who were in need.

When the day was complete, organizers wished they could do more.

“This year’s event has been drastically scaled down,” said Joe Stutler, who is one of five members on the Linn County Veterans Affairs Commission. “Normally this would be a three-day event, but we’ve had some water issues in Cedar Rapids.”

Event organizers have previously used Veterans Memorial Coliseum in downtown Cedar Rapids as the event location and for storage during the year, but when the city was flooded in June, the group lost just about everything — several thousands of dollars in equipment, supplies and other miscellaneous items.

“Without the much larger facility, we’ve had to scale back to a one-day event,” Stutler said. “But we are considering the possibility of doing three events throughout the year now instead of one that’s larger. We think that might help to better distribute the services we can offer.”

Stutler and the other organizers tried to get the word out to as many veterans as possible, but they know they haven’t reach them all.

“It’s tough to find the invisible people, and, in our society, the homeless tend to be invisible,” Stutler said. “I know that we’ve seen a large increase as to the number of veterans we are servicing through the Linn County Veterans Affairs Commission and Department — especially because of the floods.

“There are all types of people who are homeless that may not be classified as such on first glance. For instance, the people who are living on someone’s couch or in a friend’s living room. Another thing that people may not understanding is that, because of the floods, many of our homeless actually lost their ‘homes.’ That is, the parks and bridges and other areas that they used as homes were also affected by the flood waters. Any personal items they may have had in those areas was likely swept away.”

Jack Primer, a Vietnam (and beyond) veteran, attended the event both as a volunteer and as someone looking to take advantage of the services being provided. He said that he is one of the lucky ones because he got help purchasing his home from a locally organized program for veterans. Without that program and others like it, he said that he’s not sure what would happen to veterans in need.

“Programs like this just mean a lot to our veterans,” Primer said. “Many of the veterans don’t realize that the services [here today] are available to them. They don’t know there are service organizations out there that can help them such as the colleges and the HACAP programs. So they come here and then they suddenly realize, ‘Hey, look what’s available to me.’ It’s good for them.”

In addition to the services, Primer said just having time for veterans to be with other veterans is important.

“It’s especially hard for veterans of the Vietnam and post-Vietnam eras,” he said. “For a lot of us, we just didn’t [get] the opportunity to prove that we weren’t the things that we were called — war mongers, for instance. Many turned to alcohol and drug use. These were good men, but, eventually, they just lost everything. So it means a lot for them to be able to come somewhere and be together. It means a lot for them to have the camaraderie that they find at these types of events.”

Apolitical politicians

U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack spoke one-on-one with the men and women attending the Veterans Stand Down event in Cedar Rapids on Friday.

As veterans and their family members sorted through donated clothing and military cold weather gear, many found their rucksacks being held open by elected officials and candidates for office.

U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, Iowa Reps. Swati Dandekar and Art Staed and Iowa House candidate Gretchen Lawyer, all Democrats, came to the event to listen to the attendees’ concerns and to volunteer.

“As you’ve seen, many of the people here are my friends,” said Dandekar in a quick interview that was interrupted several times by men and women approaching her to say a few words or to give a hug. “I want to hear what they have to say. Most importantly, I’m honored to be with veterans who have fought for us. When we talk about freedom and security, these men and women are the ones who have been there for us.”

Staed, who serves on the House Veterans Committee, said that such events are important to veterans and to him as a legislator.

“I’ve seen and heard veterans’ needs for services and access to existing services,” Staed said. “Because of their voices — that’s why we pushed for so much in the last legislative session. For instance, increasing the funding for the Veterans Trust. No one should be homeless — particularly not those who have served our country. So, I’m just out here today to support them and do what I can to help.”

Loebsack made his way around the event slowly. Every few steps he was stopped by a veteran or a volunteer who wanted him to hear a personal story or ask a question.

“Local efforts, like today’s Stand Down, are indispensable to connecting our veterans, including those who are homeless, with food and critical services to help them find housing, employment and health care,” said Loebsack. “I attended the Stand Down so I could speak face-to-face with veterans about challenges in their lives, especially those who have been hard it by the floods, so I can continue my efforts in Congress to ensure Iowa veterans are treated with the compassion and support they deserve.”