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Serving Veterans Events to honor vets this November

Red Shirt Friday

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, Durango City Council will be asked to approve a proclamation for an event known as Red Shirt Friday. With this proclamation, the city of Durango will designate Durango as a Red Shirt Friday community in a show of honor and respect to all veterans who served in the Gulf War, whether in Iraq or Afghanistan, and to show their support for all members of the armed forces abroad, regardless of the circumstances under which they were deployed.

Veterans Day 2014

The 11th month, the 11th day, at the 11th hour (11.11.11), Durango’s Military Service Organizations and special guests will gather on Main Avenue for the annual Veterans Day parade.

Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day – a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans – living or dead – and especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Four Corners Veterans Stand Down

“This is a hand up, not a hand out”

This event will be held Nov. 15 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. Doors open at 8 a.m.

Goals of the event:

To find and bring to the fairgrounds any veteran from La Plata, Archuleta, Montezuma and San Juan (Silverton) counties who are homeless, at risk of being homeless or just not fitting in with civilian life.

To find veterans who are not currently taking advantage of their VA benefits and to get them signed up for VA Health Care and to file any benefit claims needed to provide a better life for them.

A place where any veteran can come and participate in the health and wellness benefits available to them and see what employment opportunities may be available through the on-site job fair, and to relax and visit with other veterans in a safe environment.

Each veteran will be provided with a warm meal, showers as needed, haircuts/style if needed, and information about education, jobs, housing, legal assistance, tax assistance, mental health, physical needs, substance abuse and VA benefits information and assistance, on an as-needed basis.

To provide prevention, protection, advocacy and support services to veterans and their families, so they can maximize their quality of life, well-being and potential.

Richard Schleeter is the veterans service officer for the La Plata County Veterans Service Office. He can be reached at 759-0117 or schleeterrs@co.laplata.co.us.

For more information

The La Plata County Veterans Service Office provides information and assis­tance to veterans and their families. For more information, visit the county website at www.co.laplata.co.us and type “veterans services” in the search window. The Veterans Service Office and the Durango VA Clinic are located at 1970 East Third Ave. The office phone number is 759-0117. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays except holidays. Appointments are encouraged. To schedule an appoint­ment, call 382-6150. For clinic appointments, call 247-2214.

Help for vets

The Veterans Crisis Line offers free, confidential support to veterans, family and friends. Call (800) 273-8255 and press 1. You also can text professional responders at 838255 or chat online at www.VeteransCrisisLine.net.



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