The Birth of the Land
Sometimes he surprises himself that he is lighting a torch for veterans because this has not been his style. “I never have been active in anything,” Mr. Rosebrock said. “But I live in Brentwood, adjacent to the V.A. Over the years, I have seen a lot of things going on there that should not have happened.” Before describing the wrongs he believes have been quite openly foisted upon voiceless veterans, Mr. Rosebrock provided a historical pastiche to establish foundational legitimacy. “It is important to know that the 700 or so acres of the V.A. campus were deeded in 1888,” he said. “Specifically, this land was to be a national home for disabled veterans. It was deeded in perpetuity. And for 118 years, it has been that way. These grounds, which include the National Cemetery, were selected in 1888 for their isolation, their quietude and the balmy weather. The idea at the time was to take care of the veterans from the Civil War.
A Recommended Way to Behave
“The cemetery is very prestigious. Fourteen Medal of Honor winners are buried there, and so are veterans of the Civil War.” The cemetery, like the rest of the property, maintains a low, almost nuanced, profile, which works for and against veterans, Mr. Rosebrock believes. “When you have some 88,000 who have served our country buried there,” he says, “we should give them more honor and recognition.” His attitude is as current as today’s lunch or dinner. “Regardless of what people may think of the Iraqi War,” says Mr. Rosebrock, “people are out there defending us. We need to honor the people who go out and make the sacrifice. I don’t even like the term ‘honor.’ Just ‘respect.’ There is so much disrespect today. Go back to World War II. They had a mission that everybody knew. They came back as heroes. Quite different from Korea, and even more so from Vietnam.”
Just Who Is the Enemy?
In the case of Vietnam, Mr. Rosebrock stood face-to-face with the galling depths of the frozen treatment that was angrily thrown at blameless returning veterans. As his service was ending, he tells a story of heart-pounding pathos turned on its head. “When I came back from Hawaii where I was stationed,” he said, “they forewarned us. This was 1967. When I left the Honolulu airport for San Francisco, where a bus would pick us up and take us to the Oakland Army Terminal to be processed out, I had never heard of the reputations of Berkeley, Oakland, any of that stuff. When we got to the airport in San Francisco, we were in uniform. And there were ugly signs — ‘pigs,’ ‘baby-killers,’ everything else. You wanted to get out of there quickly as you could. I still don’t know how to explain the feeling. When we got on the bus, the sergeant said, ‘Welcome back. Things are different. This is not a hero’s welcome, as you already have noticed. You are probably going to see some worse things. We’re headed toward U.C. Berkeley. Keep your eyes straight ahead. Do not react to what you see. This is your ticket out of the army. You will be processed out. Don’t make a fool of yourself.’ Sure enough, when we get to the chain-linked fence area, there are the signs again — ‘pigs’ and ‘baby-killers.’ Interesting thing when we got inside at the Army Terminal in Oakland. The sergeant said, ‘Welcome home, soldiers. That’s what you’ve been fighting for.’ It didn’t sink in at the moment. It did later. Yes, he was right. Those protestors had the right to do what they were doing. I didn’t serve combat during my two years. Here I was facing the enemy for the first time, my fellow citizens. I couldn’t help thinking, what were these fellows going through, those who had been in combat? They come home, and they see this.”
Driving Veterans to Ruin
Mr. Rosebrock stopped again to assemble his thoughts. “Interesting, isn’t it?” he mused. “Nobody really respected those who served. Instead of taking it out on the government, they disparaged those who served. A lot of veterans turned to drinking and drugs. That is why we have about 18,000 homeless veterans in Los Angeles. This is a tragedy beyond belief. Yet when World War II veterans came home, they had the GI Bill, they had homes — it was a whole different thing. So we have a problem here.
Are They Well-Meaning or Meddling?
“After that era,” said Mr. Rosebrock, “the word ‘veteran’ became, well, not a pleasant word in a lot of people’s eyes. This was particularly true around an area like Brentwood. Some of the wealthiest people live there. They do not understand, to this day, why they have what they have there.” Having completed the backstory, Mr. Rosebrock turned to the true point of his narration — an innocent-looking collection of nature-minded Brentwood homeowners. He is convinced they have a nuanced agenda to undermine the Veterans Administration, to shape the landscape in the mold they prefer, shunting aside the far different traditional concerns of veterans.
Changing Names, Meanings but Not Agenda?
“I want to talk about a movement by a group of people who started out as the Brentwood Homeowners Assn.,” said Mr. Rosebrock. “They changed their name to the Veterans Park Preserve. And now they are known as the Veterans Park Conservancy. I never understood the word ‘Park’ in the title. This is not a ‘park.’ It’s a home. Nevertheless, these people changed the name of their group from ‘Preserve’ to ‘Conservancy.’ The word ‘preserve’ means to protect, to leave as is. The word ‘conservancy’ means open space, nature. Theirs is a subtle movement. They are trying to make the kinds of changes a homeowners group wants, bypassing the veterans’ needs.”
Next: Mr. Rosebrock, in his own words, analyzes a ‘sign’ of the times that made him furious.
