Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans,
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War.
While North and South Vietnam are considered “reunified,” tens of thousands of Veterans from the Vietnam War remain dispossessed by our own U.S government. They live homeless and hungry in deplorable, inhumane conditions on American soil.
There are more homeless Veterans from the Vietnam War than were killed during the war.
Forty years ago, our government established a “Tent City” at Camp Pendleton with more than 1,000 tents. They welcomed 50,000 refugees. They a helped them assimilate into American society as productive citizens.
Nearly halfof all homeless Veterans in the USA are from the Vietnam War (47 percent by the VA’s own admission).
The foregoing notwithstanding, our federal, state and local Governments refuse to call this a “state of emergency.”
However, the 96-member Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition passed a motion on Jan. 3 declaring Los Angeles to be in a “state of emergency” for homeless Veterans and called upon the city of L.A. to unify with the VA and “open a large-scale Crisis Humanitarian Relief Project on VA land to immediately house and care for thousands upon thousands of disabled homeless Veterans.”
Mayor Garcetti refuses to acknowledge the 96 neighborhood communities that declared we’re in a state of emergency. VA Secretary Bob McDonald refuses to grant a land-use permit on VA property that was officially requested by Vietnam Veterans of America, Region 9, to host a long-term crisis housing project similar to the one 40 years ago at Camp Pendleton.
Enough of this barbaric neglect and human rights violations.
Let us, “We the People,” unify and organize a “Search and Rescue” mission by renting buses and going into these 96 communities of Los Angeles and bring all homeless Veterans onto the VA grounds, setting up tents, food lines, whatever is necessary to provide emergency shelter and care.
Forty years ago our government had compassion for 50,000 Vietnamese refugees.
Today our uncompassionate government refuses to take responsibility for displaced America Veterans who are war-injured and impoverished.
Let us do the honorable and compassionate thing. Go into these neighborhoods and “Bring Our Homeless Veterans HOME.”
“Housing First” doesn’t work for Veterans. If it did, why are there still homeless Veterans?
The VA Secretary and Los Angeles mayor proclaim they will end Veteran homelessness by the end of the year.
We cannot wait for tomorrow.
As Dr. Martin King proclaimed during the civil rights movement, “Tomorrow is today!”
This is also the same “fierce urgency of now” that Dr. King declared.
Action. Now.
God Bless America and the Veterans Revolution!
Mr. Rosebrock, director of the Old Veterans Guard, may be contacted at rrosebrock1@aol.com