Excerpt from February 14th, 2021 interview of Julio Yniguez and West LA VA, Soldiers’ Home expert researcher, Ryan Thompson. Mr. Yniguez is a Korean War Combat Veteran and Purple Heart recipient who became the 24th District Baseball Commissioner for the Congressionally Chartered, American Legion Veterans Services Organization’s Baseball League. Between 1951 and the early 2000’s, Mr. Yniguez legitimately developed and improved upon a baseball field for disabled Veterans and their families to rehabilitate and bond in sport.
The League was immensely popular, until UCLA illegally took it away from disabled Veterans and Veterans Services Organizations for significant private gains while the League and its’ Publicly Funded benefits suffered into virtual non-existence. As insult to injury, UCLA intentionally misinforms the Public that the stadium is a development Principally benefitting Veterans and their families; in part by naming the development Jackie Robinson Stadium. Mr. Robinson was a Civil Rights Leader, U.S. Military Veteran and Baseball Legend who left UCLA in his senior year, in part due to his dismay with racially-based issues at the college.
“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life… I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… all I ask is that you respect me as a human being… A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” – Jackie Robinson
*** Photo: Babe Ruth preparing to speak at a 1947 American Legion Baseball League World Series Game at the West Los Angeles VA Soldiers Home.
Please demand UCLA baseball field leaves Soldiers’ Home and the UCLA graduate students living on Veterans Ave (C&H Tract) leave too!
#UCLA #baseball #uclabaseball #bruins #veterans #losangeles #soldiershome #nhdvs #aftp #alwaysforthepeople