"Search and Rescue" - 40 Years Later

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon that ended the Vietnam War. While North and South Vietnam are considered "reunified," today tens of thousands of Veterans from the Vietnam War remain dispossessed by our own U.S government and continue to live homeless and hungry in deplorable and inhumane conditions on American soil.

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 January 3rd declaring Los Angeles to be in a "state of emergency" for homeless Veterans and called upon the City of LA 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." Today, there are more homeless Veterans from the Vietnam War than were killed during the War. Forty years ago, our U.S. government established a "Tent City" at Camp Pendleton with more than 1,000 tents and welcomed 50,000 refugees and helped them assimilate into American society as productive citizens. Today, nearly half * of all homeless Veterans in the USA are from the Vietnam War. * (47% by the VA's own admission)

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LA Mayor Garcetti refuses to acknowledge the 96-neighborhood communities that declared we're in a "state of emergency" and VA Secretary 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 held 40 years ago at Camp Pendleton. Enough of this barbaric neglect and human rights violations against our homeless Veterans by our own government. 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 and set up tents and food lines and 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 and action for tens of thousands of displaced America Veterans who are war-injured and impoverished, so let us do the honorable and compassionate thing and go into these neighborhoods and "Bring Our Homeless Veterans HOME." "Housing First" doesn't work for Veterans. If it did, why are there still tens of thousands of homeless Veterans? The VA Secretary and LA Mayor proclaim they will end Veteran homelessness by the end of the year. We cannot wait for tomorrow, and just as by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., rightfully proclaimed during the Civil Rights Movement -- "Tomorrow is today!" This is also the same "Fierce Urgency of Now" that Dr. King declared. Correspondingly, it's time to take action Now! Sincerly, Robert Rosebrock Director, Old Veterans Guard God Bless America and the Veterans Revolution!