Letters to the Editor: Why is VA land used for sports facilities when veterans are homeless?

To the editor: I can find no good reason why the aspirations of a private school and university leasing land on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs campus in Westwood for their sports facilities should supersede rectifying the dire circumstances of our homeless United States veterans. (“VA appeals judgment ordering thousands of housing units built on its West Los Angeles campus,” Oct. 25)
These men and women have made countless sacrifices. Their stories of courage, loss and perseverance are a testament to their unwavering commitment to protecting and upholding freedom and democracy.
Let’s not ignore the ongoing challenges many face when they return home, from dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder to falling into homelessness.
This should not be! Their sacrifices deserve our respect and support.
Barbara Doss, Hawthorne
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To the editor: Long ago, it was decided by many of my fellow veterans of the Korean mess that the VA was ruled by all of those master sergeants whose barely intelligible commands during training had little impact on one’s later actions.
I am old enough to remember when old soldiers’ homes were still functioning as end-of-life retreats for veterans. Stories my grandmother told me of the Grand Army of the Republic encampments, where veterans of the Civil War were saluted and cared for, stand in stark contrast to the attention paid to vets by our federal government today.
Vets should not be living on the streets.
Carleton Cronin, West Hollywood