An annual resource fair proves that our county is home to many who care about veterans.

Pam Marino here, thinking a lot about my grandfather, Paul Hamilton, these days. A classic member of the Greatest Generation, he spent most of his adult life serving his country, including in two World Wars. In WWII he spent four years in Europe, earning a Purple Heart after sustaining a serious battle injury near the end of the war.

When my grandfather retired as a colonel about 15 years after WWII ended, he and my grandmother settled in Carmel Meadows, in part to be near Fort Ord because he could access services, including shopping at the Post Exchange—the PX as I remember they always called it.

Our county continues to be home to thousands of veterans—the California Department of Veterans Affairs estimates over 13,000 are here—now mostly veterans of later wars. Jack Murphy from the Monterey County Military and Veterans Affairs Office tells me there are probably less than 10 remaining WWII vets here. 

Thankfully, we are also home to people who care deeply about veterans and their issues, working tirelessly to see that they have access to housing, medical care, counseling and other benefits, as well as taking time to honor their service, even after they’ve passed away.

Tomorrow, Friday, April 18, all of those folks who care about veterans are gathering to put on the 2025 County of Monterey Stand Down & Resource Fair, to connect all interested veterans to benefits, services and access to other resources.

Over 50 agencies and nonprofit organizations have signed up for booths at the stand down, including the Veterans Administration, Dentistry for Vets, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office and county agencies that will help veterans sign up for social service benefits.

The Food Bank for Monterey County will also be there to distribute food and meals. The SPCA will be offering free care and vaccinations for veterans’ pets.

Some previous stand downs have been huge, multi-day events—we covered one in 2022 held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey. This one is a single day, and the great news is that while past stand downs have been targeted mostly to unhoused veterans, thanks to efforts over several years to find them homes, there are less. Murphy says they decided to do a smaller event aimed at all veterans, not just those living on the margins.

For those veterans who want to attend, it takes place from 9am-3pm, at the county’s Veterans Service Office, 2620 1st Ave., in Marina. For information, call 647-7613. Murphy says there’s a lot of construction going on, so just follow the detour signs and you’ll find it.

The Greatest Generation may be passing away, but that doesn’t mean younger generations aren’t as great. They all deserve our respect and care and it’s satisfying to be in a community that gathers to help support them.