Volusia County’s Veterans Services Division is hosting its annual Veterans Stand Down.
The two-day event connects veterans and their families with essential resources, services, and support — all free of charge.
This provides a one-stop opportunity for veterans experiencing homelessness or needing help with Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to access multiple agencies in a welcoming, supportive environment.
“I was drafted back in 1971,” Ron “Lucky” Cleary said.
Cleary has spent the last two decades honoring fellow veterans by bringing a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to events around the nation. His display, which is at the event, gives veterans and residents a chance to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
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He tells News 6 that events like this are crucial for veterans experiencing homelessness.
“When we’re doing these missions, sometimes we do have the homeless that come up. That’s for a veteran. ‘I wonder if I qualify or wait can I do it?’ We can we can steer them to different places,” Cleary explained.
Services available at the event include clothing and food giveaways, employment and career resources, free haircuts, health and wellness screenings, and assistance with homelessness, legal issues, and VA claims.
“The main or primary mission of the event is to help bring resources to our homeless veterans here in the county. And the secondary mission is to just build camaraderie within the veteran community and offer onsite resources,” Volusia County Veteran Services Director Scott Olson said.
The Veterans Benefits Administration will bring its Mobile Compensation and Pension Exam Unit to the Center at Deltona. Veterans with pending claims can complete medical exams on-site and potentially receive faster decisions — a process that can otherwise require separate appointments.
“Veterans could come here, they could file that claim. They could get their exam done. So we shrink, you know, that one-month to three-month process down into a couple of hours,” Olson said.
Traveling replicas of the Vietnam Memorial Wall and Global War on Terror Wall will be displayed outside the center, offering a reflective experience for veterans and other residents. The walls will be on site through 2 p.m. on March 21; residents do not need to attend the event to view them.
The Global War on Terrorism Wall of Remembrance is a 120-foot, double-sided traveling memorial that stands about 6 feet tall and features 32 to 36 panels listing more than 10,000 names of service members, civilians, and first responders killed from the 1983 Beirut bombing through the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is a 3/5-scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. It stands about 6 feet tall at the center, spans almost 300 feet, and contains the names of more than 58,000 U.S. military personnel who died or remain missing from the Vietnam War.
Participating agencies will include the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, the Florida Department of Health in Volusia County, Volusia County Human Resources, VITAS Healthcare, CareerSource Flagler Volusia, Daytona State College, and the Daytona Beach Vet Center.
Event organizers encouraged veterans and family members to attend and to bring any documentation they think may help with benefits or eligibility questions.
The second day of the event will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Center at Deltona, 1640 Dr. MLK Blvd.