Veterans from across Northern California last week came to downtown Ukiah for Veterans Stand Down, a community-based gathering where they could receive various services and supplies.
Stand Down events began in the 1980s and help at-risk and homeless veterans with resources, food, and free haircuts. The term “stand down” originates from times of war, when combat units were withdrawn from battlefields to recover in a safe space.
Inside the main room of the Veterans Memorial Building in Ukiah, various vendors, nonprofit organizations and health clinics were set up to give out information and speak with veterans about available resources such as health care, mental health services, and other assistance programs.
In another room, volunteers were giving out free Army shirts, jackets, pants and other goods for veterans.
Tony Morfín, who owns Tony’s Barber Shop in downtown Ukiah, was in the corner giving free haircuts to veterans. Morfín volunteers every year at local Stand Down events.
“I enjoy talking to them and listening to what they have to say,” he said while giving a haircut to veteran Allen Woolverton, a Ukiah resident who once served in the Air Force and stationed in Iceland.
Woolverton said the Stand Down event is important because it gives him a sense of community, which he doesn’t have as much anymore since leaving the U.S. military.
“Veterans need to get together more often. I live by myself and I feel isolated,” he added. “This event is great for socializing.”
A Ukiah VA Clinic staff member speaks with a veteran at the Veterans Stand Down event in Ukiah, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Sydney Fishman/Bay City News) 
Amanda Lopez, an employee of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, speaks with a veteran at the Veterans Stand Down event in Ukiah, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Sydney Fishman/Bay City News) 
Vendors from all over Northern California attend the Veterans Stand Down event offering resources to veterans in Ukiah, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Sydney Fishman/Bay City News) 
Free clothes and supplies were available for veterans at the Veterans Stand Down event in Ukiah, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Sydney Fishman/Bay City News) 
Ken Shaw, a Cold War veteran, volunteers in the kitchen during the Veterans Stand Down event at the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Ukiah, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Sydney Fishman/Bay City News)
Dave Gunter, a Vietnam War veteran who served as a damage controlman in the Navy and was stationed in the Mekong Delta on the Vietnam-Cambodia border, volunteered to gather Army clothes and supplies and distribute them to veterans at the event.
Gunter commented that he feels strongly about keeping the history of veterans alive. He noted that, while his photos and other documents from the Vietnam War are fading over time, he has been digitizing his pictures and putting them on his phone.
Gunter also spoke about how he wishes to return to Vietnam someday to spend time there in a calmer setting.
“I would love to go back and see what it looks like now,” Gunter said. “It’s changed a lot.”
Ulysses Lopez, a veteran services officer with Mendocino County and an Iraq War veteran, was one of the co-organizers of the Stand Down event. Lopez said it takes approximately a couple of months to organize the event, including reaching out to vendors and coordinating volunteers.
Lopez said this Stand Down event was only the second time it has been held locally in Ukiah. For many years, the event was held in Lake County because there weren’t enough staff or resources to host it in Ukiah.
Lopez said he is happy there is now a Stand Down event centrally located for veterans in Mendocino County.
“Providing these services to the community is essential,” he said. “A meal and free haircuts. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
This story originally appeared in The Mendocino Voice.