On a chilly and blustery Saturday
morning in May of 2012, more than 1,000 military veterans and their family
members gathered at the Sanders County Fairgrounds in Plains, MT for the first
ever Tri-State Veterans Stand Down. On
hand to meet with them were nearly a hundred volunteers, officials from the
Veterans Administration, and leaders with groups such as Wounded Warriors
Project and Oath Keepers. To kick off
the two day event, a hot breakfast was served.
Billy Hill, of rural Trout Creek, MT
planned and promoted that event, which has been credited with being one of the
largest such Veterans Stand Downs ever held in the state - and one of the best organized and smoothest running. Hill is now hard at work
pulling things together to make the second Tri-State Veterans Stand Down event
even larger and more successful. The
event is scheduled for May 4 and 5, 2013 - and will again be held at the
Sanders County Fairground in Plains, MT.
At the 2012 Tri-State Veterans Stand
Down, more than $1-million in surplus military clothing and gear was
redistributed to the veterans attending the event. The array of surplus items included boots,
sleeping bags, packs & frames, insulated under wear, wool socks and
blankets, pants, shirts, hi-tech polar fleece, gloves, camping gear, extreme
cold weather wear, and much more.
According to Billy Hill, this year's
event will offer more than twice that amount of surplus wear and gear to qualifying
military veterans and their family members.
To qualify, a veteran simply needs to have a V.A. or military I.D. card,
a copy of their discharge papers or a copy of their form DD-214.
Hill says, "It is the need for much of
the clothing, footwear and other surplus gear that brings these vets to the
Stand Down events. The distribution of
all that surplus gear is the incentive to pull together so many veterans in one
place at one time, giving the Veterans Administration an opportunity to share
with them the benefits and health services available to military
veterans."
The Thompson Falls Food Bank and the
Montana Food Bank worked together at last year's Tri-State Veterans Stand Down
to distribute several hundred food baskets. Working around sequestered federal funding, an effort
is now being made to be able to offer those baskets again this year. Hot meals will be served both
days, and for those who have really been down on their luck and have been
forced to live out in the elements, hot showers and haircuts will also be
provided. Wounded Warriors Project and
Oath Keepers will also be on hand again to provide moral support and guidance
to those veterans who have found it difficult to cope with post military
life. Likewise, those vets seeking
employment can receive some guidance and assistance at the 2013 Tri-State
Veterans Stand Down.
As planned and hoped for, the 2012
event drew military veterans from Montana, Idaho and Washington. Billy Hill feels the success of last year's
stand down will encourage others to attend this year. At most, Plains is just an hour and half drive
from Missoula. Hill believes there are
4,000 to 5,000 veterans there, and many could car pool for this year's event.
He says, "If they do...they need to
allow room for all of the great gear they'll be taking home with them!"
If you are a military veteran, mark
your calendar now. The 2013 Tri-State
Veterans Stand Down takes place May 4 and 5, at the Sanders County Fairgrounds,
located at 30 River Road in Plains, MT.
The event runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. - Toby Bridges, Missoula, MT
Help Needed...
Last year's Tri-State Veterans Stand
Down in Plains, MT was the most successful first time event of this kind ever
held in Montana. Billy Hill pretty much
single-handedly organized the entire effort, spending several thousand of his
own dollars to insure its success. This
year, he is looking for a number of additional sponsors and sponsoring
businesses to help defray the cost of an effort that could this year bring in
more than 1,500 military veterans. If
you, or your business, or your company can see clear to help sponsor the 2013
Tri-State Veterans Stand Down, those veterans attending, all of those
volunteers who make this event run so smoothly, the service organizations and
agencies that will be there, and the residents of Plains and Western Montana
will thank you.
Contact Billy Hill At 406
847-2407
