Hundreds of military veterans got help Saturday at Stand Down 2008, whether it was dental work, tips on job training or just someone to listen to them.

One Vietnam veteran, for instance, just needed gas to keep his camper running.

"This guy had lost his home," said David Brown, veterans coordinator for Yakima County's department of community services.

So Brown arranged for some gas vouchers. But he also told the man about other services that could help in the long term.

"You can give a person bread or drink or shelter, but you've also got to deal with the underlying things," Brown said.

Stand Down, hosted by the National Guard's 420th Chemical Battalion in Yakima, is an annual gathering of local service providers designed to do all of that. Veterans who visited Saturday could get a free meal or a flu shot there, sure, but they could also get signed up for counseling or home loans.

For some veterans, the hardest thing to find is somebody who understands them and is willing to listen, said Bill Rassmussen, a Navy vet who served in Vietnam and who manned the Point Man Ministry booth at this year's Stand Down.

"Civilians don't understand," the 55-year-old Yakima man said. "But a veteran understands."

That's why he and Robert Lantrip, a Marine vet from Vietnam who also manned the booth, got involved with Point Man Ministry. Their local chapter, part of an international organization, aims to help veterans readjust to civilian life. They're not counselors, but they have military experience and are willing to listen, Lantrip said.

"One of the issues is that civilian life doesn't make sense anymore once you've been in combat," he said. "Everything seems like its unstructured or lackadaisical, and it's hard to get that adrenaline to shut down."

For new veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, it's important to recognize that others have been through similar transitions before, Lantrip said. His advice for them was to seek out people who can help with that adjustment, including other veterans.

"Get help," he said. "Talk to somebody, whether at a veteran center in their hometown or Point Man. Just get a hold of somebody and talk. Find a friend somewhere."

* Pat Muir can be reached at 577-7693 or pmuir@yakimaherald.com.

By PAT MUIR

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC