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~ WE STAND TOGETHER AS ONE ~


OPERATION FIRING FOR EFFECT

A TASK FORCE NETWORK MODEL FOR GRASSROOTS VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS

National Chairman

OFFE: 315 986-7322 CELL: 585 545-5472 



President Donald J Trump

Secretary of the VA, Doug Collins

Chief of Staff, Curt Cashout

August 26th, 2026

Mr. President,


Please understand that the Veteran advocates are not criminals. We are, in fact, the people who identify and call out the criminal element that is currently stealing the land at the National Soldiers Home, site of the Center for Warrior Independence.


The Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary came to the “Home” yesterday and, after a round of golf in Long Beach, completed the visit today. We were informed of his visit on Friday evening by an unofficial source because there are no official sources that inform the concerned Veteran Family community of what is going on.


Over the weekend, NHDVS put together the attached letter to hand to the Secretary. That happened yesterday, Monday, August 24. A female member of the Secretary’s entourage accepted the package and, this morning, there was retaliation against the individual who, in good faith, handed that package to someone representing the U.S. Government. On top of that, they have black listed a 100% TERMINALLY ILL, paraplegic Viet Nam Veteran from entering ANY VA HOSPITAL TO RECIEVE HER EARNED HEALTH CARE.


As the national president of OFFE, I believe we are being black listed by the Department of VA at the West LA facility. Please review the contents of the letter and reply.



Gene Simes 

OFFE National President

Marine Corps SIGINT Association

The Marine Corps SIGINT Association is a registered non-profit corporation that consists of former 2600 professionals who advocate for the 2600 community and veterans. https://2651usmc.com/memorial-wall/

The Marine Corps SIGINT Association was created after the unfortunate events involving Jordan Hunkin. In order to honor our fellow Marine and brother in arms, it was important to create an entity that we could advocate from—one that would grow and possibly outlive its founding members. Jordan’s travesty was the driving force to get the Marines from Tactical Systems engaged in what was going on in veteran communities around the United States. What we have found are many areas that can be improved. We never want to see any veteran deal with the things Jordan had to experience at the VA. We can't change what happened to Jordan, but we can ensure safeguards are put in place so other veterans don’t have to deal with the same issues and accountability is held for negligence.

“The findings follow a previous OIG report of the incorrect use of the Baker Act on a veteran at the Malcom Randall VA Hospital in Gainesville. Of the 12 recommendations made in that report, three are still unresolved.”

Active Projects

Primary Goal: Currently, the Marine Corps SIGINT Association is working on several different missions. The first and primary mission of the organization is to continue to get news coverage on Jordan Hunkin’s story until the VA is held accountable and responsible changes in procedures are implemented.

Secondary Goal: Work with Marine Corps leadership to have the 2600 course materials at the Marine Corps Intelligence Schoolhouse evaluated so the courses can be transferred for college credit. Work with Air Force leadership at Goodfellow Air Base to have the courses Marines complete there receive the same college credits the Air Force currently receives. This hasn’t happened since the inception of SMART in the early 1990s and has persisted through the transition to ACE and present day. It will take time, but we see movement on the issue since this organization brought it back into the spotlight with Marine Corps leadership.

  • Update 4-15-2025: The MCIS schoolhouse is moving to accredit the 2651 course and is working out the issues to ACE accredit the other 2600 courses at Goodfellow. Full details to come soon.
  • Update 5-14-2025: The MCIS schoolhouse has sent an update for Marines who went through any version of 2600 courses at Goodfellow Air Base. This is not a permanent fix. The end goal is to have Marines' Joint Services Transcripts updated automatically, like other MOSs and branches. https://2651usmc.com/uncategorized/2600-goodfellow-courses/
  • Update 11-25-2025: The 2651 courses (ISEC and ISAC) are scheduled for review with ACE starting 4-27-2026. Once those three get through the accreditation process, all 26xx ELT will be receiving accreditation.


Third Goal: Archive as many former Marine Corps Cryptologic Association and private websites dealing with Marine SIGINT and Cryptology as possible before the information is lost. Currently, many privately owned websites are disappearing from the internet. The generation of Marines who were cryptologists is quickly moving on, so it is extremely important that the younger generation of 2600s gather as many of their stories and information as we can. We have been able to recover information from the Wayback Machine and remain in communication with cryptologists and 2600s who ran previous organizations. We will continue to find as many old stories and testimonials as possible to archive them for future audiences.

“for the NHDVS Coalition”

ECRF – EL CAMINO REAL FORUM

11721 WHITTIER BLVD., NO. 155

WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA 90601

From:

Francisco Juarez

CEO & Commander, EL CAMINO REAL FORUM Org.

Liberty Community Plaza


To:

The Honorable Douglas Collins

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs


Date: August 23, 2026


Subject: URGENT: Systematic Exploitation, Legal Violations, and Severe Safety Hazards at the West Los Angeles National

Soldiers Home


Dear Secretary Collins,

On behalf of the Veteran community and the El Camino Real Forum, I am writing to strictly request your direct intervention during your current visit regarding the severe, illegal, and hazardous conditions at the West Los Angeles National Soldiers

Home.


What is occurring here is a systematic "land-grab" orchestrated by the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) and private entities. This unlawful repurpose of deed-restricted land has resulted in immediate collateral damage, including widespread loss of life, physical abuse, severe mental health crises among our veterans, and massive financial malfeasance.

I. The Core Legal Contention: Violation of Permanent Deeds

The congressional process used to acquire this public asset explicitly mandates its use.


• The 1887 Mandate: Established by the 49th Congress on April 2, 1887, creating a permanent (word used once in the Act) receivership for the Pacific Branch Home.


• The 1888 Deeds: Explicitly specify the word “permanent” five times for the inland deed and once for the beachfront property. The land is strictly restricted for disabled and homeless Veterans.


• The Fabricated Settlement: In Valentini v. Shinseki (June 8, 2011), the 9th Circuit Court ruled to protect this land. However, attorneys falsely informed the presiding judge that a settlement had been reached. The master plans and Enhanced Use Leases (EULs) used, today, rely entirely on this unrecorded, fraudulent settlement.


• Discrepancy in Land Footprint: Federal records state the true footprint is 1,279 contiguous inland acres plus beachfront property in Santa Monica. This directly contradicts the 300 to 388 acres claimed by current master plans and the Annenberg Metabolic Report.

II. Administrative Malfeasance and Ground-Level Realities

The physical and administrative state of the homeland represents a profound failure of public trust under VAGLAHS Director


Timothy Graham:


• Unabated Criminality & Overdoses: Drug distribution is rampant. A previous discovery of 2.5 lbs. of methamphetamine and 3 lbs. of fentanyl was suppressed under former management. Nine overdose deaths occurred in a single building alone, with zero information shared transparently. Prostitutes are actively registered on the grounds under the guise of "caregivers."


• Illegal Third-Party Occupancy: The Brentwood School continues its school year on federal land despite its presence being identified as illegal in U.S. Courts. UCLA continues to occupy the C&H Tract (a 36-acre federal parcel) and hold the original government deeds hostage, while protecting its baseball stadium and poorly run medical operations.


• Infrastructure Contamination: There is unaddressed oil drilling contamination. An illegal methane pipeline runs from the Mountain Gate landfill through the Getty Center and directly across this home. Furthermore, planned housing for the Center for Warrior Independence is slated to be built on top of toxic waste dumps.


• Mismanaged Funds & Infrastructure: The $1.3 billion yearly budget is continuously misrepresented. Meanwhile, the historic Chapel is locked behind chain-link fences as an icon of moral injury, and the "Welcome Center" is hidden on an obscure second floor.

III. Failures in Communication and Public Accountability


• Vanishing Oversight: Following May 9, 2025, Executive Order establishing the Center for Warrior Independence, VCEOB oversight meetings completely ceased, leaving no public accountability.


• Unmet Housing Targets: There is a total blackout of data regarding the Executive Order's mandate to house 6,000 Veterans by 2028. Concurrently, non-veterans are being housed at the 1900 W. 3rd Street facility, which was supposedly built exclusively for veterans.


• Insulated Legal Offices: The Pacific District General Counsel has been deliberately isolated in Arizona, with severe communication barriers put in place to block local veteran outreach.




IV. Fraudulent High Finance & Predatory Foreclosure Risks

It appears that a highly concerning financial scheme involves Wells Fargo (FL) and private developers like Century Housing. Private entities are using the government deeds held by UCLA to borrow massive commercial funds. Because these EULs cannot legally seize Veterans' disability compensation for rent, they will inevitably default. This is a manufactured pathway for private banks to foreclose on and permanently steal federal Veteran land.

Conclusion and Urgent Request


Mr. Secretary, the situation is critical. The facts surrounding the underhanded eviction of one paraplegic disabled female Veteran will, no doubt, anger you. That incident is a harrowing testament to the human cost of this neglect. That tragedy is too large to account for here. Several advocates will, personally, attest to what she’s been through, and we strongly recommend that you meet her face-to-face.


The C&H Tract that UCLA stole, alone, has enough units to house over 3,000 homeless Veterans, yet it remains underutilized or unlawfully occupied.


Do not trust VAGLAHS. During your visit, we strongly urge you to step away from orchestrated administrative tours. Walk through the CTRS zone and up "the hill." Talk directly to the Veterans living in these blighted, drug infested conditions.


We demand immediate federal intervention. Impose an IMMEDIATE MORATORUM to halt these illegal EULs, remove non- compliant entities, and immediately re-house the hundreds of disabled Veterans who have been fraudulently evicted from their rightful home. The American public and the Veteran Family community are watching your next steps closely.



Respectfully submitted,


Francisco Juarez

CEO & Commander, EL CAMINO REAL FORUM Org.

Contact: Juarezgroup49@gmail.com | (310) 795-7051

STATEMENT OF DANIELLE A. RUNYAN

SENIOR COUNSELOR TO THE SECRETARY,

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA)

BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON

EXPANDING THE MISSION: THE FUTURE OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR

WARRIOR INDEPENDENCE IN WEST LOS ANGELES (LA)


Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Takano, and distinguished Members of the

Committee, thank you for inviting me to discuss the work VA is doing to implement

President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order, Keeping Promises to Veterans and

Establishing a National Center for Warrior Independence (NCWI).

For generations, VA’s West Los Angeles (LA) campus has held the unrealized

potential to be a beacon of hope and stability for thousands of Veterans. Under the

leadership of President Trump and VA Secretary Douglas A. Collins, this potential is

finally on the way to being achieved.


And it is about time, as the mismanagement of this campus dates back more

than 130 years.


In 1888, Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker and Senator John P. Jones gifted

hundreds of acres of land to the Government for the purpose of providing a home and

community for disabled Veterans. It was meant to be a place where Civil War Veterans

could live out the rest of their days in peace.


But this goal was never fully realized. Some housing was built, but over the

years, large portions of the campus were deeded away, and other parcels were used in

ways that did not benefit Veterans.


VA Inspector General (IG) reports in 2018 and 2021 concluded the property was

being mismanaged. The IG determined that various agreements that allowed outside.

(DVA) Department of Veterans Affairs

(NHDVS) National Home Disability Volunteer Soldier

(ADA) American Disability Act

(BNP) Black Night Patrol

 

 

What is the definition of corruption?

 

Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption, defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.

Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis.

 

Transparency International. “What is Corruption?” Transparency International, www.transparency.org/en/wat-is-corruption.Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.

 

First, let’s take a look at the power imbalance. 

According to RAND.org

The relationship between service providers—specifically the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and contracted community care providers—and veterans is frequently characterized by a significant imbalance of power. This imbalance is driven by systemic complexity, administrative hurdles, and resource shortages, leaving many veterans navigating a, at times, paternalistic or fragmented system that struggles to meet their unique needs.

 

The West LA Veterans Administration is called to serve many veterans with physical and emotional issues that may include homelessness, PTSD, suicidal tendencies, and multiple mental health conditions. Many of the veterans who seek care at the West LA facilities, are homeless. 

 

The West LA VA has long been a source of pain for American Veterans who know that the land was dedicated specifically to them. The West LA VA Soldiers Home has many buildings that are leased to corporate entities and then rented to disabled veterans. The corporate land grabbers provide poor security and show little respect for the veterans living there. The apartments are not even (ADA) accessible, and they have unsafe elevators that are dangerous for wheelchair-bound veterans. The rent charged exceeds what some veterans can afford. Neither the city nor the state has condemned these elevators or intervened to address the violations by the corporate leaseholders and land grabbers.

 

The West LA VA is in disarray. Veterans have reported that they are verbally abused by staff supervisors and security agencies located at the WLA NHDVS (DVA) facilities. There are verified reports of prostitution, drug use, sexual assaults, and stabbings that have occurred on these properties. They are not providing a safe environment for our nation’s veterans. This is unacceptable.

 Because the West LA VA administrators and hired staff ignore these reports, they participate in the corruption.

 

Yet, they seem ready to extract every penny from veterans. Just recently, a disabled veteran was overcharged six thousand dollars—luckily, it was caught three months ago, or she would have never known.

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs does not communicate with the NHDVS coalition that monitors complaints and concerns. The OIG receives reports and numerous complaints from Veterans about corruption and activities that are damaging the WLA's reputation.

 

The West LA VA is a nationwide facility that serves veterans from across this great nation. It does not meet the standards set by the DVA mission statement. It is failing the men and women who sacrificed for the freedom we (and they) enjoy.

The NHDVS coalition and Operation Firing For Effect (OFFE) grassroots Veterans’ organizations have attempted to request a formal roundtable meeting with the VA facility director to discuss concerns and how we might assist before filing a formal complaint with the OIG. Instead, Director Robert Merchant showed little regard for our concerns, as evidenced by his apparent disinterest, aloofness, and detached demeanor. 

Wednesday, October 13, 2025

 

Dear President Trump and Secretary Collins

 

On behalf of all veterans and the NHDVS Coalition, we are sharing with you important information regarding the National Soldiers Home for homeless veterans. 

 

We are sending this via FedEx to ensure you receive and read it.

 

We have attempted several times to inform the VA and UCLA that we will be using the Field on Veterans Day to celebrate our nation’s veterans.

Unfortunately, we have received resistance. Please establish a direct Avenue for veterans in West LA to access the facilities that rightfully belong to them. We want access to the field on November 11, 2025, to honor and celebrate veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and their families have too!

 

Please help us.

 

Thank you, and God Bless you

Please acknowledge receipt of this letter. 

 

Gene Simes, National Chairman, Operation Firing for Effect

Anne Simes, Vice Chair, Operation Firing for Effect (OFFE.org)

585-329-4061A