Nor do they have a hidden agenda.

Instead, their mission is to preserve, defend and uphold the Land Grant Deed of 1888 — see below — that was patriotically bequeathed and faithfully entrusted to the United States government by its grantors, Arcadia Bandini Stearns de Baker and Sen. John Percival Jones, with the non-negotiable specifics to provide a permanent National Home to care for America’s military Veterans.

They Had a Vision

Nearly 120 years ago, landowners Stearns de Baker and Jones had the foresight and wisdom to understand that America would always require a strong and vigilant military force to protect our many freedoms and unparalleled way of life.

Like Plato, they understood that “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

Moreover, they intuitively knew that protecting America without human casualties, particularly the infliction of physical and psychological harm to its brave defenders, would be virtually impossible.

Home Will Never Leave

Thus, with a patriotic vision centuries into the future, their benevolent Land Grant, deeded in 1888, essentially promised that those who dutifully and honorably defended our country would always have a permanent place to call “Home.”

In addition, our government’s token of gratitude always has been the unmitigated promise to provide America’s military Veterans with the very best of medical care and rehabilitative services. Unfortunately, these promises have not always been honored and the stipulated Congressional bill ensures that these promises will always be kept.

The Decline, if Not Fall

For more than a century, this patriotic tradition of preserving the National Home as a safe haven for America’s Veterans was faithfully passed on generation-to-generation, until modern times.

Now, it’s being leased, sub-leased and abused to the point where many of the for-profit business ventures and special events that take place on these hallowed grounds are egregious.

They are an insult to the integrity of our Veterans, as well as being an embarrassment to surrounding communities.

They Need Reminding

Lest we forget, this land was faithfully entrusted to the United States government with the unconditional responsibility to permanently preserve this National Home for America’s Veterans.

Must today’s executive and legislative branches be constantly reminded of this inviolable stewardship?

We would like to think America’s elected leaders have the Veterans’ best interests at heart when interpreting the deed of 1888, and not the best interests of for-profit business ventures.

Not Only in America

Clearly, if it were not for the unselfish sacrifices of our Veterans, America would not be this wondrously free and prosperous nation. Nor would countless nations around the world be free and independent from the heavy-handed rule of dictators.

Consequently, “We the People” are forever indebted to the brave men and women who have pledged their own lives to defend our personal safety and well-being.

The very least our government can do in return is to pledge our uncompromising defense of the Veterans Home, and permanently protect and preserve it with the same vigilance that our Veterans did in defending our country.

Beyond Obligatory

This much is clear: Protecting the National Veterans Home is not our country’s obligation; it’s our country’s honorable duty, just as all men and women of the United States armed forces serve our citizenry with their uncompromising creed of “Duty, Honor, Country.”

Support the “Los Angeles National Veterans Home Land Preservation Act of 2007.”

Mr. Rosebrock, a Vietnam-era Veteran of the U.S. Army, can be reached at: dutyscalling@aol.com

The Deed