The Montezuma County Stand Down is approaching on Sept. 16 to help provide services to veterans, especially those who are facing at-risk issues such as homelessness and joblessness.
The Stand Down, held at Montezuma County’s Annex Building and run by VFW 5231, is a one-day event held for veterans where they can receive information from an estimated 30 vendors, ranging from health care professionals, lawyers and veteran programs. According to the local post’s Facebook page, veterans can even get free haircuts and handmade walking sticks.
With the help of the Veterans Trust Fund, which is administered by the state of Colorado, the local post has raised close to $70,000 in grants that assist veterans with issues and needs such as rent, car repairs, plumbing issues, food, gas and mobility issues.
“It takes some of the sting out of life,” said John Davis, VFW Post 5231 quartermaster and adjutant.
Davis said the Montezuma County Stand Down is the biggest one in Colorado, according to the feedback from the state grant they received. He expects close to 400 veterans to attend the event.
The local VFW Post has 15 different programs that provide support, such as scholarships for middle and high school students. They also participate in funerals and Colors Presentations.
During the recent VFW Council of Administration meeting on Aug. 19-20 in Burlington, Colorado, they found out they were one of three Colorado Posts that made it to the top 50.
“Our Post has been recognized as All-State for three years in a row, and it’s recognized as All-American for two years,” Davis said. “We’ve been chosen to be in the top 50 and last year we were the top of All-Americans.”
According to the 2022 U.S. Census, 1,859 veterans, or about 7% of the county’s population of 26,468 people, reside in Montezuma County. That’s 1 percentage point down from 2019, when 8% of veterans made up the population, according to a previous story from The Journal.
The local post has 178 members, and 164 of those are life members.
“A lot of posts have annual members where they pay annual dues. The life membership is considered a more prestigious thing,” Davis said. “Our post actually is well enough off that we can pay life dues for new members coming in. If you go out and look at the other posts, they don’t have those kinds of numbers, so we’re riding high on the wave right now.”
The Stand Down will be held Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Montezuma County’s Annex Building, 107 N. Chestnut St. in Cortez.
