PHOTOS: ANEETA BROWN
u On hand to greet the veterans at the Eastern New York Homeless Veterans Coalition Stand Down held at the Colonie, New York, Lodge are (from left) Past State President Ron Olson, Past State President and Endorsed Candidate for GER David Carr, and New York State Senator Roy McDonald, an army veteran and a member of the Saratoga-Wilton, New York, Lodge.
Aneeta Brown
INCE 1954, Albany, New York, has received an average of 3.3 inches of snow each week during December, January, February, and March. In 2003, the city burrowed out from thirty-eight inches of snow after only two storms. Winter can be challenging for everyone who lives in upstate New York. For homeless persons, it can be deadly. So it comes as no surprise to learn that army surplus sleeping bags and steel-toed boots were the most coveted items at an event held in Colonie, a suburb of Albany, on October 2, 2010. The men and women who received the cold weather gear were battle tested, and they knew the military gear was, too. They were US military veterans who had accepted an invitation from the Eastern New York State Homeless
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Veterans Coalition to spend a day being honored and helped at a veter- ans Stand Down that was hosted by the Colonie Lodge.
The phrase “Stand Down” is a command that is used in the US armed forces. James Haggerty, a veteran of the US Marine Corps, who is past president of the New York State Council of Veterans Organiza- tions and a seasoned Stand Down volunteer, explained: “When a unit comes out of combat and a command- ing officer dismisses a group, he says ‘stand down.’ That command means you can relax, but you can’t leave the base camp. During a military Stand Down, soldiers can get a shower, a good meal, and maybe help from a chaplain or a psychologist. Soldiers can roam around, but they must be
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