It's 3 a.m. on the first day of a massive free clinic at Seattle Center. Anyone who needs medical, dental or vision care can find help here today — first come, first served.
An Iraq vet named Ryan Mielcarek addressed the crowd: “By a quick show of hands, do we have any veterans in the audience here today?”
Mielcarek is the South Sound platoon leader with the veteran volunteer group, The Mission Continues. Their goal is to connect with veterans experiencing homelessness, more than 600 in King County according to official estimates.
He's pleased when he sees about 20 hands in the air. “That's good,” Mielcarek said. “That validates our need to be here.”
Usually we give you the story to read, but we encourage you to listen to this one.
Mielcarek and his fellow volunteers from Seattle Stand Down and El Centro de la Raza will be at the clinic every day, between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., to find veterans who are waiting in line.
TheSeattle/King County Clinicruns October 22-25, 2015 in Key Arena at Seattle Center.