Respecting veterans

As I read Joe Battenfeld’s column (“Healey faces more national heat over her treatment of Massachusetts veterans,” April 2) I was once again outraged at how little respect our homeless veteran population has from our elected officials up at the State House.

Growing up in the ’50s and ’60s, I remembered our veterans were treated with so much respect. In those days, we knew that everything we had, our country, our freedoms and our futures were owed to those who served our nation.

One of my boyhood heroes was a neighbor who was a veteran of both World War I and before that in the Spanish American War. I also knew many co-workers of my dad’s who were survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor and who still carried visible scars.

Today too often we see signs that military veterans no longer get the respect they have earned. Every night there are approximately 500 veterans in Massachusetts who sleep on the streets and shelter where they can. This is a disgrace. Where are our elected officials? We are no longer the nation we once were. We have changed for the worse.

Now, with our migrant crisis growing bigger by the minute, our governor has decided to turn a soon-to-be demolished building at the Soldiers Home in Chelsea into migrant housing for approximately 100 families. As Battenfeld pointed out, the property up at the Soldiers’ Home is deeded for veteran services.

However, Healey and her handpicked Secretary of Veterans Services Jon Santiago apparently don’t seem to care about any stinkin’ deed, the move is on to turn the building into migrant housing. Thus it shall be.

I grew up in an era when society cared about its veterans and we always thanked them for their service. I am a Vietnam-era veteran of the United States Air Force who enlisted right after high school and then I ended up with a career in law enforcement where I served 28 years.

The world has changed much in my lifetime and much of it not that great. We once were blessed with great leadership but unfortunately not that much any more. We once remembered those who sacrifice their lives for us, who died for us but today, many don’t even see our veterans anymore, even when they stand right there in front of us.

Sal Giarratani

East Boston

Soldiers Home

I am a Chelsea resident. I grew up here. I am a former Marine and I live in the immediate area of the Soldiers Home.  I can’t begin to tell you how disgusted I am with the leadership of this city, state, country…

We used to have four nice big parks which are gone.  We have an F.B.I. building, apartment buildings going up like hotcakes and a new building to house our vets, which is awesome.  I don’t understand  how putting immigrants in the Soldiers Home makes any sense, especially to the homeless vets in the area.  I’m grief stricken that we actually have government officials allowing this to happen.  So disappointed.

Rick Silva

Chelsea