Veterans affairs officials were surprised at the impressive turnout for last week’s Homeless Veterans Outreach Event in Joshua Tree. Reporter David Haldane was there and files this report…
The crowd was unexpected. Anyone passing VFW Post 7264 in Joshua Tree last Thursday would have noticed something awry. What they might not have guessed, however, was that the dozens milling about the sidewalk were veterans in need of help. “It’s been overwhelming. It’s a lot larger than I thought it would be.” That’s Mike Shannon, commander of the Veterans Way post that teamed up with San Bernardino County and Loma Linda VA Hospital for the Homeless Veterans Outreach Event.
The idea, organizers said, was to connect area veterans in trouble with available services. Bottom line: the social workers set up tables and the veterans came. William Russell, 38, is a former soldier now living with relatives in Twentynine Palms and looking for a job. And Philip Liddicoat, 81, is a Korea-era veteran with a Joshua Tree mobile home but not much else. “I’m surviving. At the end of the month there’s nothing left.”
