January 20, 2025 • 19 mins
Join us as we sit down with Commander Joe Ramirez from the American Legion Post 283 in Pacific Palisades, California, for an eye-opening conversation about the recent wildfire crisis that nearly brought their close-knit veteran community to its knees. With compelling firsthand accounts, Commander Ramirez sheds light on the harrowing experience of evacuating with the flames encroaching dangerously close, the fear of losing their beloved post, and the devastation faced by nearly 100 members who lost their homes or were displaced. Get an insider's view of how veterans from Vietnam, Desert Storm, and post-9/11 eras demonstrated resilience and adaptability, using technology to stay connected even amidst chaos and uncertainty.
Discover how you can play a part in the ongoing efforts to support those affected by visiting alpost283.com/fire. Our conversation takes a deep dive into the challenges of organizing aid during such destruction and the critical need for gap funding to provide immediate relief. Learn about the steadfast community support that has emerged, from monetary donations to volunteer efforts and the determination of American Legion leaders to rebuild stronger. Despite the uncertainty of when they can return to their physical post, the spirit of recovery and unity shines through in this powerful episode.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Larry Zilliox (00:00):
Good morning.
I'm your host, larry Zilliox,Director of Culinary Services,
here at the Warrior Retreat atBull Run this week.
Our guest is Commander JoeRamirez.
He's commander of the AmericanLegion Post 283 in Pacific
Palisades, California, which I'msure everybody is well aware
(00:21):
that that's an area that's justbeen ravaged by wildfires
recently, and I did a little bitof research and looking online
and it turned out the postitself was spared, but not by
much.
The fire was really knocking attheir front door out and was
(00:47):
really happy that Commandercould join us and we'll just
spend a little time talkingabout the post, talking about
the members and veterans in thecommunity at large.
So, commander, thanks forjoining us.
Joe Ramirez (00:55):
Well, you're quite welcome and I can tell you how
appreciative not only myself,but I probably speak for
everybody for having anopportunity to provide awareness
.
It's a tragic event, situation,unexpected, but interestingly,
you know, being veterans, we arekind of conditioned to deal
(01:17):
with this.
I would say the only differenceis that literally, this is
hitting home, and so when ithits home, literally your house,
it becomes a different scenario.
But we're going to be strongerthan ever as we work together
and with our community to comeout of this.
Larry Zilliox (01:36):
Tell us a little bit about the post.
How big is the post?
It's located right sort ofdowntown there.
I think you share a buildingwith the post office.
Tell us a little bit about thepost and your membership.
Joe Ramirez (01:47):
Well, probably, like most American legions were
post, we have a good portion ofVietnam veterans that kind of
carried on the legacy from theWorld War II, and we have a good
portion of Desert Storm andthen now post-911.
(02:10):
And we're up to about 700-plusnumbers.
Wow, yeah.
And out of the 700, probablyclose to 100 were affected by
the disaster.
Either they lost their homescompletely or they become
displaced.
And I don't know if you knowanything about the American
(02:31):
Legion, but they also have afamily, which is the sons of
American Legion and then theauxiliary.
When you put it all together,we've got a couple thousand
members that belong to the post.
Larry Zilliox (02:42):
Your post is right downtown and the fire was
right there.
It was a block away.
A whole lot of homes very closeto the post were destroyed.
Kind of walk us through what itwas like when the fire broke
out and start to come in thedirection of the post, what that
(03:05):
was like for the members andfor you to think geez, are we
going to lose the post or what'sgoing to happen?
Joe Ramirez (03:12):
You know, really good question.
And, by the way, it was closerthan a block away we're talking.
It was across the street.
That's how close the fire cameto our building.
To step back a little bit andshare with you where I was, I
was actually at another buildinga few blocks over and you hear
(03:35):
the fire engines and the sirensand you know you hear that quite
a bit right, whether it's onthe freeway or once in a while
in the residence.
You know, either at home, butyou never really kind of in your
mind conceive that this isgoing to affect you.
So I was, you know, at myoffice and I stepped out onto
(03:58):
the, you know, the front of theoffice and I saw the smoke and
then I thought, well, this isbad, went back in and about I
don't know, maybe seven minuteslater I come back out and I
could see the flames, literallya parking lot over, and that's
when I thought, okay, I'm goingto be a part of the evacuation,
(04:22):
and got in my car and got out.
Now the post particularly samething.
They were starting to realizethat they needed to evacuate and
when that happened and somepeople actually, because the
cars got so jammed up, had toleave their cars just in the
middle of the road, had to leavetheir cars just in the middle
(04:45):
of the road and they had to usea forklift to move those cars
over when they were trying toput out the fire.
So it became a mess ratherquickly and you probably have
heard Some of the criticism as aresult of, you know, not being
fully prepared, and that is alltrue.
But getting back to theaffecting the post, once we all
(05:05):
evacuated, then it was watchingthe TV, texting each other back
and forth to see whose house wasspared and, of course, was the
American Legion spared?
And that was a very intensetime period for all of us.
It was almost like watching athriller on Netflix.
We just were so worried, as youcan imagine, about damage and
(05:31):
physical harm.
And then at some point andsorry for carrying on this way,
but I think it's importantinformation At some point, point
we started thinking of peoplethat we haven't heard from.
So imagine that like, wow, Ihope Larry's okay, I hope Rich
(05:51):
is okay.
So then it became an even moreintense time period.
It was about 24 to 48 hoursbefore we kind of had like a
little check-in, so to speak.
Thank goodness for technology.
And then after about 48 hourswe didn't know if the post was
(06:12):
still standing.
We some people actually, asmilitary terms would describe
infiltrated onto the area andwhen we shouldn't have done
including myself, about threedays later and there was able to
(06:34):
get pictures of the post to leteveryone know that we were fine
.
And I actually have a video andI put it online, I'll be glad
to share it with you of one ofour members being right there in
the middle of the fire, and Imean he was in his car.
It was just a tremendous,tremendous risk he took, but he
(06:57):
was so worried about hisproperty that he had to go out
and check it out.
He made it and it was fine.
It was kind of a dumb thingthat he did and he would admit
that, but that's how intensethis whole thing was when that
all went down.
Larry Zilliox (07:12):
Yeah, wow.
Well, yeah, we know thatveterans are adaptable and that
they can be very often moreprepared than many other people
for this sort of situation, butthen the gravity of it, the size
of it and just the trauma of itcan be overwhelming.
(07:33):
And I know, you know, a lot ofour veterans have issues with
PTS and that kind of thing.
And how do you think it'saffected the mental health of
veterans in the area?
Joe Ramirez (07:46):
Too early to tell.
It's too early to tell, but youcan see signs of shock and awe
and despair, especially if I'mtalking to somebody and they
were able to get an apartment ora hotel, and when they
communicate to you in a veryhumble way, not even actually
almost protecting their ownselves, and you find out that
(08:09):
they only have two pairs ofclothes or there's not even a
microwave to heat something up.
You know something, as you know,simple as that, that we take
for granted, completely gone,and I think we're going to and
we're gearing up for having todeal with that because,
gratefully, or we've beenblessed with having counselors
(08:33):
as part of our membership whospecialize in counseling and, of
course, we're within 20 minutesof the VA.
So we're going to be somethingwe're definitely going to be
addressing now as it pops up.
As you probably would know andsee out there, although it's
(08:56):
changing, the veteran is not thefirst person, the first in line
to say, hey, I need help withtherapy, and I can tell you from
personal experience when I gotout of Operation Desert Storm, I
didn't want to do it myself.
Larry Zilliox (09:09):
So, yeah, yeah, we know, we're well aware that
veterans loathe asking for helpand they are the ones that
usually help, and, yeah, this isnot the time for that.
This is an all-hand situation.
I want to direct our listenersto the webpage, which is
(09:31):
wwwalpost238.com.
So it's alpost283.com, so it'salpost283.com and then, if you
then use forward slash fire,you'll go right to a page on the
website that details a lot ofwhat we've talked about, but I
(09:54):
want to draw everyone'sattention to.
There's a button after the firstparagraph on the right that
says donate, and I want all ofour listeners to bang on that
button and give what they can,because this is going to be a
long duration event.
There are going to be needsthat have to be met for some
(10:15):
time, and the VA will have apart in it.
Fema has a part in it.
Fema has a part in it, a lot ofnonprofits have a part in it,
and the Legion will have a partin it, and so it's really
important for Legionnairesaround the country just everyone
to go ahead and make thatdonation.
And the most important thing tounderstand here is you are
(10:38):
giving a donation directly tothe people who need it and who
will manage it properly.
Unfortunately, in times likethis, you get all sorts of
GoFundMe things pop up andorganizations that come out of
nowhere, that are set up to helpand you just don't know who
(10:58):
you're giving your money to.
So you can give your money tothe Red Cross, you can give your
money to Team Rubicon, you cangive your money to Post 283, and
I guarantee you that they willuse it wisely and it will go
directly to help veterans in thePacific Palisades area that
will need it now as well aslong-term, as they try to
(11:22):
rebuild their lives.
So, commander, aside from money, if we have veterans listening
who are local to your area, isthere anything that they can do?
Make actual physical donationsor volunteer in some way?
What's the kind of support thatthe Post is getting from the
community?
Joe Ramirez (11:42):
some way.
What's the kind of support thatthe post is getting from the
community?
Well, I got to tell you it'soverwhelming funds and
volunteers and donations otherthan monetary, and the challenge
has been how to organize whenyou're not allowed on the
property and when you don't knowwho needs what.
So we're getting there andwhere we are today, at this
(12:08):
moment, is setting up adistribution center with all of
the stuff that has been donatedand we have actually trucks
ready to come in.
And, by the way I just want tomake sure I mention this the
American Legion as a whole, fromthe national to the department,
to the area, to the district,they're all really really a part
(12:32):
of this joint effort.
That being said, we're not theonly ones that need the help.
You know, as you probably haveseen, there's other fires and,
if you want to see somepositivity or look at some
positive aspects to this, thereis a community including
veterans coming together to helpout all people in need.
(12:54):
And I mean, if you think aboutwhen we signed up to join the
military, we're serving ourcountry and we're doing this on
a local level, serving our city,the county, the local community
and, of course, ourselves.
So that's kind of a sidebar.
I wanted to kind of make sure Ithrew out there.
(13:15):
But, that being said, we onthat page that you're talking
about there is a place to signup for volunteers and then
there's a place to donate and wehave someone in charge of the
volunteers and it's sort of likesign up and we'll give back to
you because we're still gettingthe logistics place set up.
(13:38):
And, by the way, the funds, if Ican elaborate just a little bit
on that, I think there is thisthinking that the government,
when it comes to FEMA or theirclaims on their insurance, or
maybe even the state that we'regoing to be taken care of, right
, and we all hope and pray thatthat is true, but the funds are
(14:00):
used for what I call gap funding, when someone needs money now
because they're trying to getinto a hotel room or because
they're trying to buy a pair ofshoes or a meal, even, and so
that's what that money is doingand it's extremely valuable when
you have somebody and we justwired $1,000, not wired, I think
(14:23):
we did a Venmo someone justyesterday because they lost his
house and said, hey, I don neverasked for anything, but I'm at
the point where I'm desperateand any help would do and I'm
like this guy's a veteran.
(14:43):
He doesn't even realize that theAmerican Legion is there for
him and he belongs in theAmerican Legion and I guess that
goes to being a bit in shockand you're not going to operate
at your best, especially whenyou have a personal tragedy or
something that's affecting youpersonally.
So you know we're dealing withall of that the best we can and
(15:04):
I got to really thank theleaders of the post.
There's about 10 or 11 on theboard, along with probably
another 20, who?
20 people I would considerleaders all helping out with
this strategy and organizing andreorganizing and you know,
changing and shifting, sometimesnot only on a daily basis but,
(15:25):
you know, on an hourly basis.
Larry Zilliox (15:27):
Yeah, so have authorities given you any idea
of when you might have access tothe post again, the physical
location?
Joe Ramirez (15:34):
Well, we hear different rumors, from the fire
department to the policedepartment, to the people in the
press, that it could beliterally just a few days or it
could be as long as a year, andthe reason, I think, for the
uncertainty, the wide range, isbecause they themselves also, I
(15:59):
think, are trying to understandthe magnitude of the toxicity
there.
It's one thing that a housesituation, when it comes to the
(16:23):
air, it goes on and on.
I was there yesterday and youknow it's just like 9-11.
You see stuff still coming off,coming out from the ground and
you know the fire has kind ofbeen put out.
Larry Zilliox (16:36):
Yeah.
Joe Ramirez (16:37):
For the most part in that area.
Larry Zilliox (16:39):
Yeah, and you're talking with a very large amount
of destruction.
I mean, if people take the time, go to your web page.
There's a map on there thatthey'll have access to to show
exactly there and that was allright next to you, and it's just
an area of hundreds of homesdestroyed all at once.
(17:00):
So it's not like a neighbor'shome or a couple of homes burnt
and you know you don't have tobe too worried about toxicity
based on just that.
But here you have that.
Multiply that by 100, and it'sjust crazy to think about it.
Well, listen, I don't want tokeep you.
I know you're a busy guy.
(17:22):
Again, I want to tell ourlisteners go to the webpage.
It's wwwalpost283.com.
Once you're there, hit thatdonate button.
Give what you can help yourfellow Legionnaires, or you know
, they'll help the community aswell.
So it's not just you know.
We're hoarding all this for theguys that pay their dues.
(17:44):
Legionnaires give back to thecommunity nonstop, all the time,
and so listen, commander, wewish you the very best.
If there's anything you'd liketo get the word on out, just let
me know and we'll have you backon.
But I can't thank you enoughfor spending a little time with
(18:05):
us today.
Joe Ramirez (18:05):
Well, thank you so much.
I really really appreciate itand, as I mentioned at the start
of this, not only are we goingto get through this, we're going
to get through this strongerand better and hopefully,
hopefully, a closer communitywhen it comes to relations.
You know we've had some reallyrough years in the political
(18:27):
spectrum and veterans aren'taway from it because you know we
are part of the country.
So the silver lining perhaps toall this that this will bring
us together, that's, I guess,where I was leading to.
So, thank you very much.
Larry Zilliox (18:42):
Yeah Well, thank you for joining us and for our
listeners.
If you have any questions orsuggestions, you can reach us at
podcast at willingwarriorsorg.
We'll have another episode nextMonday morning at 0500.
Until then, thanks forlistening.
Good morning.
I'm your host, larry Zilliox,Director of Culinary Services,
here at the Warrior Retreat atBull Run this week.
Our guest is Commander JoeRamirez.
He's commander of the AmericanLegion Post 283 in Pacific
Palisades, California, which I'msure everybody is well aware
(00:21):
that that's an area that's justbeen ravaged by wildfires
recently, and I did a little bitof research and looking online
and it turned out the postitself was spared, but not by
much.
The fire was really knocking attheir front door out and was
(00:47):
really happy that Commandercould join us and we'll just
spend a little time talkingabout the post, talking about
the members and veterans in thecommunity at large.
So, commander, thanks forjoining us.
Joe Ramirez (00:55):
Well, you're quite welcome and I can tell you how
appreciative not only myself,but I probably speak for
everybody for having anopportunity to provide awareness
.
It's a tragic event, situation,unexpected, but interestingly,
you know, being veterans, we arekind of conditioned to deal
(01:17):
with this.
I would say the only differenceis that literally, this is
hitting home, and so when ithits home, literally your house,
it becomes a different scenario.
But we're going to be strongerthan ever as we work together
and with our community to comeout of this.
Larry Zilliox (01:36):
Tell us a little bit about the post.
How big is the post?
It's located right sort ofdowntown there.
I think you share a buildingwith the post office.
Tell us a little bit about thepost and your membership.
Joe Ramirez (01:47):
Well, probably, like most American legions were
post, we have a good portion ofVietnam veterans that kind of
carried on the legacy from theWorld War II, and we have a good
portion of Desert Storm andthen now post-911.
(02:10):
And we're up to about 700-plusnumbers.
Wow, yeah.
And out of the 700, probablyclose to 100 were affected by
the disaster.
Either they lost their homescompletely or they become
displaced.
And I don't know if you knowanything about the American
(02:31):
Legion, but they also have afamily, which is the sons of
American Legion and then theauxiliary.
When you put it all together,we've got a couple thousand
members that belong to the post.
Larry Zilliox (02:42):
Your post is right downtown and the fire was
right there.
It was a block away.
A whole lot of homes very closeto the post were destroyed.
Kind of walk us through what itwas like when the fire broke
out and start to come in thedirection of the post, what that
(03:05):
was like for the members andfor you to think geez, are we
going to lose the post or what'sgoing to happen?
Joe Ramirez (03:12):
You know, really good question.
And, by the way, it was closerthan a block away we're talking.
It was across the street.
That's how close the fire cameto our building.
To step back a little bit andshare with you where I was, I
was actually at another buildinga few blocks over and you hear
(03:35):
the fire engines and the sirensand you know you hear that quite
a bit right, whether it's onthe freeway or once in a while
in the residence.
You know, either at home, butyou never really kind of in your
mind conceive that this isgoing to affect you.
So I was, you know, at myoffice and I stepped out onto
(03:58):
the, you know, the front of theoffice and I saw the smoke and
then I thought, well, this isbad, went back in and about I
don't know, maybe seven minuteslater I come back out and I
could see the flames, literallya parking lot over, and that's
when I thought, okay, I'm goingto be a part of the evacuation,
(04:22):
and got in my car and got out.
Now the post particularly samething.
They were starting to realizethat they needed to evacuate and
when that happened and somepeople actually, because the
cars got so jammed up, had toleave their cars just in the
middle of the road, had to leavetheir cars just in the middle
(04:45):
of the road and they had to usea forklift to move those cars
over when they were trying toput out the fire.
So it became a mess ratherquickly and you probably have
heard Some of the criticism as aresult of, you know, not being
fully prepared, and that is alltrue.
But getting back to theaffecting the post, once we all
(05:05):
evacuated, then it was watchingthe TV, texting each other back
and forth to see whose house wasspared and, of course, was the
American Legion spared?
And that was a very intensetime period for all of us.
It was almost like watching athriller on Netflix.
We just were so worried, as youcan imagine, about damage and
(05:31):
physical harm.
And then at some point andsorry for carrying on this way,
but I think it's importantinformation At some point, point
we started thinking of peoplethat we haven't heard from.
So imagine that like, wow, Ihope Larry's okay, I hope Rich
(05:51):
is okay.
So then it became an even moreintense time period.
It was about 24 to 48 hoursbefore we kind of had like a
little check-in, so to speak.
Thank goodness for technology.
And then after about 48 hourswe didn't know if the post was
(06:12):
still standing.
We some people actually, asmilitary terms would describe
infiltrated onto the area andwhen we shouldn't have done
including myself, about threedays later and there was able to
(06:34):
get pictures of the post to leteveryone know that we were fine
.
And I actually have a video andI put it online, I'll be glad
to share it with you of one ofour members being right there in
the middle of the fire, and Imean he was in his car.
It was just a tremendous,tremendous risk he took, but he
(06:57):
was so worried about hisproperty that he had to go out
and check it out.
He made it and it was fine.
It was kind of a dumb thingthat he did and he would admit
that, but that's how intensethis whole thing was when that
all went down.
Larry Zilliox (07:12):
Yeah, wow.
Well, yeah, we know thatveterans are adaptable and that
they can be very often moreprepared than many other people
for this sort of situation, butthen the gravity of it, the size
of it and just the trauma of itcan be overwhelming.
(07:33):
And I know, you know, a lot ofour veterans have issues with
PTS and that kind of thing.
And how do you think it'saffected the mental health of
veterans in the area?
Joe Ramirez (07:46):
Too early to tell.
It's too early to tell, but youcan see signs of shock and awe
and despair, especially if I'mtalking to somebody and they
were able to get an apartment ora hotel, and when they
communicate to you in a veryhumble way, not even actually
almost protecting their ownselves, and you find out that
(08:09):
they only have two pairs ofclothes or there's not even a
microwave to heat something up.
You know something, as you know,simple as that, that we take
for granted, completely gone,and I think we're going to and
we're gearing up for having todeal with that because,
gratefully, or we've beenblessed with having counselors
(08:33):
as part of our membership whospecialize in counseling and, of
course, we're within 20 minutesof the VA.
So we're going to be somethingwe're definitely going to be
addressing now as it pops up.
As you probably would know andsee out there, although it's
(08:56):
changing, the veteran is not thefirst person, the first in line
to say, hey, I need help withtherapy, and I can tell you from
personal experience when I gotout of Operation Desert Storm, I
didn't want to do it myself.
Larry Zilliox (09:09):
So, yeah, yeah, we know, we're well aware that
veterans loathe asking for helpand they are the ones that
usually help, and, yeah, this isnot the time for that.
This is an all-hand situation.
I want to direct our listenersto the webpage, which is
(09:31):
wwwalpost238.com.
So it's alpost283.com, so it'salpost283.com and then, if you
then use forward slash fire,you'll go right to a page on the
website that details a lot ofwhat we've talked about, but I
(09:54):
want to draw everyone'sattention to.
There's a button after the firstparagraph on the right that
says donate, and I want all ofour listeners to bang on that
button and give what they can,because this is going to be a
long duration event.
There are going to be needsthat have to be met for some
(10:15):
time, and the VA will have apart in it.
Fema has a part in it.
Fema has a part in it, a lot ofnonprofits have a part in it,
and the Legion will have a partin it, and so it's really
important for Legionnairesaround the country just everyone
to go ahead and make thatdonation.
And the most important thing tounderstand here is you are
(10:38):
giving a donation directly tothe people who need it and who
will manage it properly.
Unfortunately, in times likethis, you get all sorts of
GoFundMe things pop up andorganizations that come out of
nowhere, that are set up to helpand you just don't know who
(10:58):
you're giving your money to.
So you can give your money tothe Red Cross, you can give your
money to Team Rubicon, you cangive your money to Post 283, and
I guarantee you that they willuse it wisely and it will go
directly to help veterans in thePacific Palisades area that
will need it now as well aslong-term, as they try to
(11:22):
rebuild their lives.
So, commander, aside from money, if we have veterans listening
who are local to your area, isthere anything that they can do?
Make actual physical donationsor volunteer in some way?
What's the kind of support thatthe Post is getting from the
community?
Joe Ramirez (11:42):
some way.
What's the kind of support thatthe post is getting from the
community?
Well, I got to tell you it'soverwhelming funds and
volunteers and donations otherthan monetary, and the challenge
has been how to organize whenyou're not allowed on the
property and when you don't knowwho needs what.
So we're getting there andwhere we are today, at this
(12:08):
moment, is setting up adistribution center with all of
the stuff that has been donatedand we have actually trucks
ready to come in.
And, by the way I just want tomake sure I mention this the
American Legion as a whole, fromthe national to the department,
to the area, to the district,they're all really really a part
(12:32):
of this joint effort.
That being said, we're not theonly ones that need the help.
You know, as you probably haveseen, there's other fires and,
if you want to see somepositivity or look at some
positive aspects to this, thereis a community including
veterans coming together to helpout all people in need.
(12:54):
And I mean, if you think aboutwhen we signed up to join the
military, we're serving ourcountry and we're doing this on
a local level, serving our city,the county, the local community
and, of course, ourselves.
So that's kind of a sidebar.
I wanted to kind of make sure Ithrew out there.
(13:15):
But, that being said, we onthat page that you're talking
about there is a place to signup for volunteers and then
there's a place to donate and wehave someone in charge of the
volunteers and it's sort of likesign up and we'll give back to
you because we're still gettingthe logistics place set up.
(13:38):
And, by the way, the funds, if Ican elaborate just a little bit
on that, I think there is thisthinking that the government,
when it comes to FEMA or theirclaims on their insurance, or
maybe even the state that we'regoing to be taken care of, right
, and we all hope and pray thatthat is true, but the funds are
(14:00):
used for what I call gap funding, when someone needs money now
because they're trying to getinto a hotel room or because
they're trying to buy a pair ofshoes or a meal, even, and so
that's what that money is doingand it's extremely valuable when
you have somebody and we justwired $1,000, not wired, I think
(14:23):
we did a Venmo someone justyesterday because they lost his
house and said, hey, I don neverasked for anything, but I'm at
the point where I'm desperateand any help would do and I'm
like this guy's a veteran.
(14:43):
He doesn't even realize that theAmerican Legion is there for
him and he belongs in theAmerican Legion and I guess that
goes to being a bit in shockand you're not going to operate
at your best, especially whenyou have a personal tragedy or
something that's affecting youpersonally.
So you know we're dealing withall of that the best we can and
(15:04):
I got to really thank theleaders of the post.
There's about 10 or 11 on theboard, along with probably
another 20, who?
20 people I would considerleaders all helping out with
this strategy and organizing andreorganizing and you know,
changing and shifting, sometimesnot only on a daily basis but,
(15:25):
you know, on an hourly basis.
Larry Zilliox (15:27):
Yeah, so have authorities given you any idea
of when you might have access tothe post again, the physical
location?
Joe Ramirez (15:34):
Well, we hear different rumors, from the fire
department to the policedepartment, to the people in the
press, that it could beliterally just a few days or it
could be as long as a year, andthe reason, I think, for the
uncertainty, the wide range, isbecause they themselves also, I
(15:59):
think, are trying to understandthe magnitude of the toxicity
there.
It's one thing that a housesituation, when it comes to the
(16:23):
air, it goes on and on.
I was there yesterday and youknow it's just like 9-11.
You see stuff still coming off,coming out from the ground and
you know the fire has kind ofbeen put out.
Larry Zilliox (16:36):
Yeah.
Joe Ramirez (16:37):
For the most part in that area.
Larry Zilliox (16:39):
Yeah, and you're talking with a very large amount
of destruction.
I mean, if people take the time, go to your web page.
There's a map on there thatthey'll have access to to show
exactly there and that was allright next to you, and it's just
an area of hundreds of homesdestroyed all at once.
(17:00):
So it's not like a neighbor'shome or a couple of homes burnt
and you know you don't have tobe too worried about toxicity
based on just that.
But here you have that.
Multiply that by 100, and it'sjust crazy to think about it.
Well, listen, I don't want tokeep you.
I know you're a busy guy.
(17:22):
Again, I want to tell ourlisteners go to the webpage.
It's wwwalpost283.com.
Once you're there, hit thatdonate button.
Give what you can help yourfellow Legionnaires, or you know
, they'll help the community aswell.
So it's not just you know.
We're hoarding all this for theguys that pay their dues.
(17:44):
Legionnaires give back to thecommunity nonstop, all the time,
and so listen, commander, wewish you the very best.
If there's anything you'd liketo get the word on out, just let
me know and we'll have you backon.
But I can't thank you enoughfor spending a little time with
(18:05):
us today.
Joe Ramirez (18:05):
Well, thank you so much.
I really really appreciate itand, as I mentioned at the start
of this, not only are we goingto get through this, we're going
to get through this strongerand better and hopefully,
hopefully, a closer communitywhen it comes to relations.
You know we've had some reallyrough years in the political
(18:27):
spectrum and veterans aren'taway from it because you know we
are part of the country.
So the silver lining perhaps toall this that this will bring
us together, that's, I guess,where I was leading to.
So, thank you very much.
Larry Zilliox (18:42):
Yeah Well, thank you for joining us and for our
listeners.
If you have any questions orsuggestions, you can reach us at
podcast at willingwarriorsorg.
We'll have another episode nextMonday morning at 0500.
Until then, thanks forlistening.
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