Hundreds of veterans fill annual ‘Stand Down’ in Macon

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Hundreds of veterans filled the fourth annual ‘Stand Down’ event at the Macon Centreplex on Friday.

State Representative James Beverly along several organizations help put on the event for veterans. The ‘Stand Down’ will provide free health, legal, and employment services for veterans.

It’s Percy Hinton’s first time at the event. He didn’t expect to see such a large crowd.

“Things are changing, you know. I know when we came home, they didn’t care about us,” Hinton, a retired Vietnam Army veteran, says.

He and countless other veterans filled the halls of the Centreplex, getting help from several organizations.

From barbers, to health services, to legal counseling — volunteers just wanted to make the veterans’ day a little better.

“I don’t have a problem with coming out and cutting a veteran’s hair. Some of them come up to the school. You know they love sharing their war stories,” Renaldo Ogletree, a student barber at Central Georgia Tech, says.

“One of the things that we have to do is continue to honor and respect what the veterans have done for us,” says Beverly.

He, Volunteer Macon and the Department of Veterans Affairs, put on the event.

“It was just a bigger event because there are more volunteers and it was just done in a very professional way this year which is tremendous,” Beverly says.

Beverly says it’s important to honor those who’ve served the country.

“It’s absolutely important that we do more for them and not just on Veterans Day, but at another time of the year when we can actually celebrate what they do for us,” says Beverly.

Hinton says he’s feeling the love and support and he’s just happy for the opportunity to be there.

“It kind of makes you feel good. I served my country,” Hinton says while reflecting on his time in army.

Beverly says at times it takes a while for veterans to get the benefits they need so he wants to help those issues and hopefully make it easier for those servicemen and women.