Photo By Sgt. Maj. Tanya Lumbard | Lt. Col. Jimmy Brown, deputy commander for the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry...... read more read more
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SAVANNAH, Ga. - “Our veterans know what it’s like to live the hard life—sleeping on the ground in a foxhole, in vehicles, or in other austere conditions and environments while deployed to a combat zone or other contingency operation,” said Lt. Col. Jimmy Brown. “They do not expect, nor do they deserve, to sleep and live in those same conditions when they return home and transition out of the military.”
Brown, the deputy commander of the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, joined more than 40 agencies, Sept. 25, who rallied together in Savannah, Ga., to take part in the 9th-annual Stand Down for Homelessness—an event orchestrated to offer support and resources to homeless veterans.
Nearly 400,000 of the homeless population in America are veterans and it is estimated that approximately 300 of those veterans are in the Savannah area.
“That’s about the size of two companies in the 3rd Sustainment Brigade,” Brown said as he spoke to hundreds of impoverished individuals from the local homeless population who piled in to the Martin Luther King Arena of the Savannah Civic Center for help. “The homeless living in our community are often overlooked; all Americans can join in the fight to end homelessness and help ensure that our veterans have access to the best resources and support available—they’ve earned it.”
Support and words of encouragement are a part of what Brown and State Senator Lester Jackson said they hoped to accomplish during event. Those in attendance also received food, haircuts, clothes and other supplies.
Ruth Keith, a social worker at the Savannah Veterans Affairs primary care clinic, has been involved in the ‘stand down’ since it began.
“We’re here looking to help homeless vets, but our doors are open to anyone,” she said. “This is a community effort, and we would not be able to do this without the community’s support.”
The military community at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield has been involved with the event for the past nine years.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure our veterans’ success,” Brown said. “Our veterans have received some of the best training available, have the traits and characteristics that leaders and organizations hope to find in their employees and have so much to offer our local communities. We will continue to offer our support in the efforts to reduce veteran homelessness.”
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2012 16:08 |
| Story ID: | 95545 |
| Location: | SAVANNAH, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 110 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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