WhatFinger


Facility for soldiers traveling through McCarran Airport

A USO in Vegas? Not a chance



During the Summer of 2007, I was approached by a group of concerned veterans in regard to a problem they had run into. These men had been attempting to get approval to have a USO-style facility put into the local airport. Without such a facility, soldiers traveling through McCarran Airport have had to sleep on the floor while waiting for a connecting flight--sometimes up to 3 nights in a row. Their food costs are as high as $20 for a dinky sandwich and a small bottle of juice. The average soldier is paid roughly just a bit over minimum wage.

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For reference, McCarran International Airport is one of the largest and busiest facilities of its type in the nation. Because of its fairly centralized location to training bases such as 29 Palms and Nellis Airforce Base, several hundred thousand military men and women come through its gates on a yearly basis; many of them carrying the weapons of their trade. To continue, the USO had been contacted several times in the past and for a variety of reasons (none of them really believable) the organization that claims to care for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our freedom couldn’t be bothered. Attempting to contact Nevada’s Washington representatives generated only an embarrassed silence. One source intimated that because of the reputation of Las Vegas, the city closest to McCarran, neither the USO nor the government wanted anything to do with the issue. Outraged, I began making phone calls and visits to those local politicians with some authority over the issue. My idea was that if the USO didn’t want to help our fighting men and women in Las Vegas, why couldn’t we do it ourselves? The Las Vegas metroplex, combining the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas houses some of the wealthiest people on the earth. Surely there should be more than enough money to build, outfit and staff such a facility with ease. As it turns out, there is, but there is also enough greed, ego and political gamesmanship around to stifle any such effort. I was able to get an assurance from the airport manager that if a 501c were created and if half of the funds were collected to cover the move, US Air would be moved from their existing first class lounge to a new, more secure facility and the soldiers could have the old one. Seems easy, right? The funds were around $750,000, not a lot considering the money floating around Glitter Gulch, and I had promises of more once the project got off the ground. Then politics stepped in. The Clark County Commission, which happens to have the yay or nay authority on such projects refused to allow it to come to a vote. They wouldn’t even allow discussion of the issue except as a non-agenda item. Roadblocks in putting together or finding a corporation acceptable to the county began appearing. Calls to the McCarran management were not answered and the Las Vegas City Council suddenly had more important matters of concern to deal with, such as a Mob Museum and a New City Hall. After a year of battle I dropped the issue as a lost cause and forgot about it. It was handed back to me by several phones this fall. As it turned out, US Air was able to make their move in September of 2009, leaving the old lounge free and clear. An election had changed the makeup of the Clark County Commission, removing the most virulent military-hater from power. All of a sudden things were on a roll. I was able to secure a promise of support from the commissioner whose district contains the airport and also from the county manager. The 501c would be written by an attorney friend of mine along with the business plan needed by the commission for approval. A governing board was set up and I was elected chairman.The issue was even placed onto the consent calendar as an agenda item. Things were looking much brighter. I forgot that Harry Reid’s boy was the Clark County Commission Chairman. Rory Reid is Harry Reid’s legacy. Papa wants sonny to be the next Nevada Governor. This is what happened next: the person who was involved in sonny’s commission campaign called the commission, upset that they were not involved in the military lounge project. The commissioner I was dealing with sent me an email warning me to be wary of this individual. (neither name or sex are being mentioned because this individual files slander suits at the drop of a hat) When the commission hearing came around, this person showed up with posters and charts and the support of the people I thought were working with me, including representatives of Nevada’s Washington contingent. Rory Reid refused to allow what had been previously planned to move forward instead shifting the approval over to his friend’s side. The next day I was sent a copy of an email blast that contained all the email addresses of the board members...except mine. A meeting had been called by sonny’s friend. The blast had been sent out by the secretary of the board I had been the chair of. I was out. Now, nearly two months later, the effort has gone nowhere. There has been no business plan presented, no 501c brought forth so the contributions can be collected. I am told that tens of thousands of dollars have been requested from the county (a county with its own budget deficit, mind you) so the 501c can be created. It is to be noted that the filing fee for such a document is quite a bit less than a thousand dollars and the paperwork takes about two hours to complete if you’re not a lawyer. Our soldiers are still sleeping on the floor of the airport and being gouged by that facility for food and drink, and the effort has stalled yet again. Even the news media refuses to address this issue. Tiger Woods’ marital problems are far more important. I have decided to wash my hands of this issue. It is all well and good to tilt at windmills, but one man against an entire corrupt governmental structure simply leads to heartburn with no positive results. The people who sat on the board with me have been blocked from sending emails. This may seem petty, but there comes a time when you need to take a stand against corruption. Why contract with someone when you have been shown they will not hold up their end of the bargain? No, it is better to start over with honest people. To that end I have been working on a plan to put together a cart that can be wheeled through the airport to distribute free food and drink to the uniformed men and women stranded there. Nevada’s politicians may not want to allow them a place of their own, but by golly we can do something to help the men and women who fight for our freedom.


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Bob Beers -- Bio and Archives

Bob L. Beers was a member of the Nevada Assembly representing District 21 in Clark County, Nevada. Prior to his election in 2006, he was an author involved in graphic arts and illustration.

Originally from Eureka, California, Beers attended Arcata High School and Humboldt State College. He currently resides in Henderson, Nevada with his wife and son.


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