Operation Stand Down offers aid for at-risk vets;
DAVID McFADDEN Journal Staff Writer. The Providence Journal. Providence, R.I.: Sep 22, 2003.

CUMBERLAND - Vietnam War veteran Thomas O. McGeough, wiry and tanned, said he spends much of his time outside these days. The combat veteran explained he's in a transitional phase when asked where he lives.

McGeough, a Woonsocket native, was 1 of the roughly 150 veterans who came to the Operation Stand Down encampment in Diamond Hill State Park this weekend. The nonprofit organization is designed to aid homeless or at-risk veterans get back on their feet.

Tony DeQuattro, a Vietnam vet who is a founder and key organizer of the three-day event, now in its 10th year in Rhode Island, explained his efforts are geared toward providing an opportunity for veterans to connect with a wide range of services provided by private groups and volunteers. On Saturday, representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs helped out.

But DeQuattro emphasized that he believes that Operation Stand Down, for all its good work, shouldn't be necessary. We shouldn't be here because there shouldn't be one single homeless vet in the United States, he said over lunch in the mess tent. It's absolutely wrong that we have to do this at all.

Financed largely by private donations and grants, Operation Stand Down helps veterans with social services, employment training, military and state benefits, psychological and medical treatment. The companionship and support of fellow veterans is another benefit of the event.

Veterans also registered for legal help, and counselors were on hand to give advice about resolving old offenses and violations that can act as a hindrance to housing.

The organization's setup resembled the structured and orderly environment of a military encampment, and green tents clustered near the entrance of the state park. This reminds them of a time and a place where they got treated with respect, said DeQuattro. He said that most of the equipment came from the 399th Hospital Batallion, based in Taunton, Mass.

Stand down is a military term that describes going from a period of intense combat readiness to a time of rest and safety. The event by that name started in San Diego to give homeless veterans respite from the streets. In Rhode Island, DeQuattro, Jack Ordner, and Fred Goulart established the Rhode Island chapter as a nonprofit organization in 1994.

About 150 participants were expected this year after getting the word through fliers and word of mouth at shelters, churches and other places that help homeless and at-risk people. We do this year after year with little government response, said DeQuattro. We're very resourceful because we have to be.