New Report: Veterans Call on Biden Administration to Designate National Monuments in California

Washington, D.C. – Vet Voice Foundation (VVF) released a new report highlighting the importance of national monuments and public lands to military and veteran communities in California. The report features veterans across the state urging the Biden Administration to designate or expand five national monuments.  

“California’s national monuments and other public lands have long provided service members and veterans with necessary refuge and respite from the demands of military service,” said Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of Vet Voice Foundation and a Marine Corps veteran. “These lands are places of reflection, reunion, and healing for millions of veterans throughout the country. They also protect cultural resources, including military heritage sites, and important habitat, and help ensure access to nature for all communities, particularly those that lack parks or other green spaces close to home.”

With more than 30 military installations, California is home to 1.8 million veterans, 157,639 active duty military personnel, and 55,537 reservists and National Guard members – more than any other state in the nation. Last week, Goldbeck traveled throughout the state meeting with local veterans at several of the proposed national monument locations and hearing why they want the President to permanently protect these places. 

“Together with veterans from around our state, I urged President Biden to protect these special places — from Tribal lands in Northern California to the majestic San Gabriel Mountains above LA to World War II training sites in the California Desert,” continued Goldbeck. “We see protecting these places as an extension of our service to this country and the duty of anyone who thinks of themselves as a patriot. We urge President Biden to designate national monuments in our state.”