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Event will help area veterans

Surely the Pentagon can spare a few old blankets and coats to help those who served our country in uniform. It doesn’t seem too much to ask.

Another in a series of “Veteran Stand Down Resource Fairs” is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 10, at West Virginia Northern Community College in Wheeling.

The events provide free lunches and haircuts to veterans.

They also have been used to distribute military surplus clothing and blankets.

It’s an event that might not be possible in the future. Organizers say the supply of surplus items is dwindling.

Distribution of them to programs such as the local “Stand Down” may end.

Much of what you see in a typical “army surplus” store does not come from the U.S. military. Much of it is from overseas.

Some marked “U.S.” comes from manufacturers who produced more than the military requires.

But the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard do have some surplus goods — though not as much as in the past.

Some of it is sold online by the government. Some items still go to private-sector stores.

And some items are available to programs such as “Stand Down.”

It would be impossible to guarantee that every program aiding veterans receives all the surplus goods desired, of course. Still, the Pentagon should do all in its power to ensure such initiatives have priority in receiving clothing, blankets, etc.

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