The Stand Down is an event that provides supplies and services to homeless Veterans,
such as food, clothing, health and dental screens and VA Social Security benefits.
Sooner Stand Down is scheduled for Friday, September 18th starting at 8 a.m. with the last veteran being admitted at 2 p.m. This event takes place at the 14th Street Clinic located at 1301 NE 14th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73117.
HUD-VASH, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, Grant and Per Diem and Health Care for Homeless Veterans programs will assist veterans with housing needs. Eligibility services will be available at the front entrance for both registered and unregistered veterans.
Mental health services will include representatives from the Veterans Center, with shuttle transportation available to the main VA campus when needed. STAR staff will also be available to assist with triage and services.
A mobile Oklahoma Human Services bus will be stationed outside the clinic to assist veterans with SNAP applications. Upward Transitions also will provide same-day services at its location, with shuttle transportation available as needed.
The Sandy Basset VFW will provide move-in kits for veterans transitioning into housing. The Oklahoma National Guard also has offered clothing. Breakfast and lunch will be provided with assistance from the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs and Bimbo Bakeries USA. Organizers also are exploring shower services through Refresh Shower Ministry.
Community members and organizations can support the Stand Down by donating needed items, including food, clothing, shoes and bus passes. Organizers say donating needed supplies is the easiest way to help.
Organizations that cannot participate in person may provide materials for inclusion in veterans’ resource packs at 1301 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 to Christine Cleary.

Story and photos by Van Mitchell,
Grace Care has served the Enid community and surrounding areas since 2009, partnering with families to create personalized care plans for seniors.
The company is now expanding its footprint with a new branch
at 15816 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 3, in Edmond, which opened Aug. 1.
“We opened in 2009 with the goal in mind to help seniors stay
at home as long as possible,” said Latisha King, President and Administrator. “We assist with the activities of daily living and IADLs – bathing, dressing, medication reminders, companionship, errands, grocery shopping, meal prep. We operate from four-hour visits to 24/7 care.”
The Edmond location’s business hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
King’s journey with Grace Care began in May 2014, when she joined as a Certified Nursing Assistant with six years of prior experience. She moved into an office role as a scheduler in
2016, became Assistant Administrator in 2019, and was appointed Administrator in December 2023. In 2024, she became President of Grace Care, carrying forward the legacy of founders Bob and Tina Osborn.
She also serves on the board of Enid RSVP, is an Ambassador for the Enid Chamber of Commerce, and serves as President of the Oklahoma Professionals for Home Care (OPHC).
“I’ve been with Grace Care for 12 years, and in 2024, I purchased it,” King said. “I always felt like Edmond was the location I wanted to expand to. I kept going back to the same area, and I just felt this pull, like that’s where I needed to be. A lot of things fell into place, and I know God had a hand in it all.”
Grace Care has built a strong reputation, helping families care for their loved ones.
The company was voted Enid’s Best in 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 by readers of the Enid News, and received the Employer of Choice Award from Home Care Pulse in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Grace Care’s dedication to providing great service hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The company’s Facebook page features several client testimonials Grace Care is expanding its footprint with a new branch
at 15816 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 3, in Edmond,
which opened Aug. 1.
including a recent one from EB, who writes, “Grace Care has given our family true peace of mind. I received daily updates on my dad, whether I asked for them or not. They genuinely take the time to know him and care about him. His caregiver has built such natural chemistry with him that he’s completely comfortable with her around. Because of that, I’m able to run our family businesses without worry. The office staff communicate every single day and it’s clear that they put real thought into matching caregivers with the right clients. I can’t recommend them enough.”
Grace Care is also a VA Community Care Network provider – the preferred national network the VA uses to connect eligible veterans with care in their community. Veterans may receive free in-home care services through the Homemaker/Home Health Aide Program.
“What we’re doing is providing quality care, and it’s noticed. We’re about quality over quantity,” King said. “We’re attentive to us, we’re always checking in on our clients and our caregivers, making sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing, because we’re going into someone’s home. We want to make sure we’re sending quality people to provide these services and always doing the right thing. It gives families respite, knowing someone is there to care for their loved one.”
King said the Edmond branch is currently hiring and accepting new clients. “We’re in the hiring process – we’ve brought on a nurse and a full-time CNA, and I’d like to add a couple more,” she said.
“Right now, we’re focused on hiring CNAs and getting established with new clients.”
For more information about the Edmond branch, call (405)
378-5467, email [email protected], or visit www.gracecareokc.com.

Across Oklahoma, dedicated JROTC cadets enter high school classrooms with a profound desire to wear the uniform and serve their country. However, a major hurdle often stands in their way: meeting the military’s qualifying Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score. For many capable students, a lack of targeted test preparation closes the door on enlistment before they even graduate.

ASVAB Edge Academy-a veteran-owned organization led by 12-year U.S. Air Force and Army veteran Winnie Robinson-was founded to solve this exact problem. Our mission is clear: to increase enlistment eligibility for 11th and 12th-grade JROTC cadets through structured, data-driven ASVAB test preparation.

Proven Impact at Frederick Douglass High School

Earlier this year, ASVAB Edge Academy partnered with Oklahoma City Public Schools to launch a pilot ASVAB Test Prep Bootcamp at Frederick Douglass High School, running from December 3, 2025, to January 9, 2026.The results speak for themselves. Out of 30 enthusiastic participants, the three-week curriculum delivered a powerful impact, successfully moving 5 cadets from testing below thresholds to fully ready for enlistment.
As Principal Kevin Jones noted of the initiative, “Our pilot ASVAB Test Prep Bootcamp was successful through strategic partnership with ASVAB Edge Academy.” Furthermore, 100% of student feedback confirmed that the program’s pacing was “just right,” with specific focus placed on strengthening foundational math and verbal skills. This initiative directly aligns with forward-thinking frameworks like the OKCPS Future Driven 2030 strategic plan, which ensures graduates are fully prepared for enlistment, employment, or enrollment.

A Statewide Call to Action for Leaders
The success at Frederick Douglass High School is just the beginning. Veteran JROTC instructors across Oklahoma-including districts in Tulsa and Lawton-have expressed an urgent, growing need to scale this support so more cadets can achieve their dreams of service.
Achieving statewide impact requires collaboration. We are actively calling on state superintendents, school board members, government officials, and corporate partners who believe in this mission to step forward. If you want to know how to bring the proven OK LEADS ASVAB Prep Program to your school district and unlock new opportunities for your students, we want to hear from you.
Together, we can ensure that every young adult in Oklahoma who wants to serve our nation is given the academic tools to succeed.
To learn more about bringing a bootcamp to your district or to partner with ASVAB Edge Academy, visit www.asvabedgeacademy.org or contact our strategic team at 405-206-3377.
• Story and photos submittd by Quincy Benton | Strategic Advisor

By Clara Cox
My name is Clara Cox and my husband, Frank and I recently picked up a copy of the Oklahoma Veteran News. Frank previously served in the United States Air Force.
Each year we hang our American flag on the wall of our garage with the help of magnets. When I bought a new flag this year I didn’t want to get rid of the old one. The colors on the front of the flag had faded over time, but the reverse side of the flag was still in good condition. So, perplexed on what to do, I prayed on the matter.
And, the Lord gave me a good idea, how I could honor our flag on this 250th year of our country’s celebration. I hope the readers of the Oklahoma Veterans News might try this idea to decorate and honor our country’s flag too.
First, I washed our flag and few other flags someone gave me and dried them on the cloths line. This seemed appropriate, because the flag had a life of blowing in the wind already.
After measuring our outdoor rockers on our front porch I folded the flag over in half, right sides together (or the sides that are not faded together) and seamed up the top and the side opposite the folded side, leaving the bottom open to slip over the top of the rocker. Then I turned it inside out. This made a simple pillow case.
My chairs measured about 29 inches. Your chair may be larger or smaller. Leave enough slack to comfortable slip it over the chair back. I did not cut the excess off the flag, but tucked it to the inside. I could not bring myself to cut the flag if no damage existed.
I completed decorating our porch with a red, white and blue wreath on our front door. Hope this might be a way you could use your old flag!
God bless America and God bless our service men and women.

Story and photos by Jill Stephenson, staff writer

Growing up surrounded by veterans and medical professionals, Stadler’s life has been shaped by a deep family legacy of military service and medicine. His grandfather worked as a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and later studied how nutrition affected cardiac patients at the Cleveland Clinic. He also spent time as a research doctor in infectious disease work connected to Johnson Pharmaceuticals. Dave’s father served in the Navy during Vietnam, was active in a Vietnam veteran motorcycle club, and counted a Green Beret among his closest friends. This environment instilled in Dave a lifelong reverence for those who serve.
Nursing also runs deep in his family: his mother and grandmother were both RNs Dave and both of his sisters followed in their footsteps. Sadly, one of his sisters passed away two years ago at the age of 57.
When Stadler was twenty-one, tragedy struck his family when his older brother, who had served two enlistments in the Navy, died unexpectedly. Although he was denied entry into military service for medical reasons, Stadler has dedicated much of his life to giving back to veterans through the American Legion and its riding community.
He became a registered nurse in 2004 and spent 16 years as a trauma nurse in the ICU at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. He found deep fulfillment in helping people through the worst moments of their lives and later getting to see them return for visits after their recovery. He has also worked with Oklahoma’s Organ Procurement Organization witnessing firsthand the good that can come from tragedy.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stadler served as a crisis nurse, spending 7.5 months as a FEMA contractor in San Antonio at Methodist Stone Oak Hospital, then returning to work as a COVID nurse at OU. He later served in Lufkin, Texas, in the same capacity.
In 2017, he transitioned from trauma nursing to peri-anesthesia care, a shift he made simply to change pace after years in high-intensity trauma work. In this role, he cares for patients waking from anesthesia, ensuring their safety and stability before they move on in their recovery. He has worked at St. Francis Hospital in this capacity for the last 2.5 years. He describes nursing as, in some ways, a selfish calling — one that gives deep meaning to his own life while allowing him to make a real difference in the lives of others’.

Stadler is heavily involved with the American Legion Riders (ALR), serving as Director of Riders for Post 308 (Mohawk Post) in Tulsa and as 2nd Vice Director of the Department of ALR for the state of Oklahoma. He began his involvement at Post 141 in Claremore in 2022 and recently served as road captain for the 2026 in-state Legacy Run.
He has been elected to lead the event again next year. He also works with Ducks Unlimited.
A defining experience came earlier this year in April, when he accompanied his father, a Vietnam-era veteran, on an Honor Flight. Through this experience, he observed that veterans who had a sponsor with them had a far richer, more meaningful experience than those who did not. This inspired the planning of Post 308’s motorcycle Poker Run in October. The event will sponsor the Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight. The hope is to make the event an annual tradition. For the many veterans who have never seen the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, Stadler sees this as an opportunity for healing and to witness reverence and appreciation for their service.
Stadler is passionate about Americanism and the importance of instilling regard for those who serve. He worries that younger generations have come to view the pursuit of happiness as an entitlement rather than a privilege earned through sacrifice. He hopes to help restore a sense of American pride and gratitude: values he says were passed down to him by his parents and grandparents.
Dave has been married to his wife Chelle for 28 years. They have two children.
The Poker Run is scheduled for October 3rd. Registration begins at 10:00am at the Carousel Lounge: 4666 S. Mingo Road
For more information contact Dave Stadler: 918-260-5388 or [email protected]