War's never a nice place to visit, and no one wants to live there. Here I saw again that not…read moreeveryone who came home from war ever left there. Here I saw again that not everyone who died in war died during that war. Over the decades, I've been to several Veteran Stand Downs in several states, including this Nevada County All Veteran Stand Down in Grass Valley, California. Like all Stand Downs, the Nevada County All Veteran Stand Down is a local, all-volunteer non-profit organization. It hosted its first Stand Down in 1999. Here are Veterans who Served for those who couldn't Serve and for those who refused to Serve. Some Veterans, like me, came for the camaraderie, others to get some free new clothes and toiletries, food, flu shot, haircut, other services offered, or just out of curiosity. Other Veterans came with a hope of overcoming homelessness, to get potential life-saving benefits or to get connected to help for disease(s) of physical, addiction or mental. Experts caution that those with mental disease are no more likely to be violent than anybody else. They are though 11 times more likely to be themselves the victim of violent crime. The military environment can and often does act as a catalyst for the development and progression of anxiety and depression. Separation from loved ones and support systems, stressors of military Service and seeing oneself or others in harm's way are all elements that increase risk of mental disease in Active Duty and Veteran populations. In addition, many women and men experienced military sexual trauma (MST), including harassment and assaults, while in the military. Loud noise, common in the military, is also a source of stress. It triggers reactions in the body, including the secretion of certain hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These reactions account for the development of heart and cardiovascular diseases after exposure to loud noise. Research indicates that as many as 50% of Veterans experience significant difficulty acclimating to civilian life after discharge from Active Duty with a third developing mental health diseases including but not limited to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. The three most common mental health diseases for Veterans are PTSD, depression and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Nevada County All Veteran Stand Down is one of about 200 across the country. All are no-charge to Veterans. Robert Van Kurran started the first program in the US in San Diego, California. Veteran Stand Downs are named for a military term for GI's time to rest and recover while at war. It's a grassroots effort to offer rest and recovery to predominately homeless Veterans although open to all Veterans because Veterans for decades succumb to suicide and homelessness at a rate twice that of non-Veterans. For more information such as each year's Nevada County All Veteran Stand Down location, date and time; or to volunteer, be a participant or register: https://www.facebook.com/NCAVSD/ info@ncavsd.org, 530-278-5343 For current Veteran Stand Downs in your area do a google search. All Veteran Stand Downs welcome money and resources for Veterans donations, and need volunteers. As I was here tears came as I again remember the words of General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., US Army (Ret.), that "the more we sweat in Peace, the less we bleed in war." Those words should be and always must be the war standard that we hold every politician to. For "The military don't start wars. Politicians start war." correctly said General William Westmoreland, US Army (Ret.). That's why I support that all elected or appointed politicians who aren't currently Serving or haven't Served in US Armed Forces, are required to spend the first six weeks of each of their terms in front line combat zone military hospital unit. In 1946, just after end of World War II, Ernest Hemingway, himself a victim with PTSD from being a World War I ambulance driver, wrote, "Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime." That's why I also support a military draft for all with no exemptions so those who previously never Served would understand the true and full costs of military Service. Dyn that Veterans who are not enrolled with VA who were discharged from Active Duty after more than 24 months and who were not dishonorably discharged or those who Served more than 100 days in a combat operation or those who were victims of a physical or sexual assault in the military are eligible for free VA access to suicide inpatient care or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days, including transportation services such as an ambulance ride and to and from appointments.

Best wedding venue we could of asked for. Debbie was amazing to work with and the venue was…read moreeverything we could have dreamed of.

Such a wonderful experience! We hosted a celebration of life for my mother in law here and we could…read morenot have found a more peaceful and beautiful place to honor her. Russ and Debbie, the owners, were so accommodating, enjoyable, helpful and easy going; people you could just spend all day talking to. There are some RV spaces to camp here so we stayed on site to make set up a little easier on the day of the memorial. We had family that rented a quaint one bedroom cabin on site as well. There is an outdoor covered kitchen area with a huge refrigerator, which allowed us to bring food in advance and prep the day before. It was all so convenient! They were in the path of the Dixie fire, so the drive out there is baron, but don't let that deter you. Once you arrive, you are surrounded by green trees and stunning scenery. It was a perfect hidden gem. We are so pleased with our entire experience at lassen meadows and would absolutely recommend it and use this venue again for other events.