Our veterans earned commissary rights

BURIED IN a small article in the March 25 Journal was an article telling us retired veterans that Col. David Miller, the 377th Wing commander whose unit is responsible for supporting Sandia laboratories and the many other tenant units who perform various USAF and DoD missions on Kirtland AFB, decided unilaterally on March 24 to ban us from entering the base unless it was to pick up medications at the Base Exchange building pharmacy.

Our shopping privileges there and at the KAFB grocery store, i.e. commissary, would be revoked. The excuse then given by Miller was to “be in line with state and local authorities and other AF installations.”

As a 23-year Air Force career vet who served in Vietnam much like other career military who served our country honorably, this was a slap in the face to all of us he disrespected. My complaint and request on the base hotline asking him to meet with me was ignored . ... Punishment for us career vets not complying could be a fine of $1,000, jail time or both . ... Except for U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, my subsequent appeals to our other N.M. members of Congress as well as our former Republican congressman all fell on deaf ears. Haaland’s fine Washington, D.C., staffer tried to get this matter resolved for me and other vets, but ultimately Commander Miller likely told him to get lost. When I went to the Base Exchange building wearing my face mask on April 24 to pick up some medications in the lobby pharmacy, I saw two armed AF police officers guarding the shopping entrance.

I question Miller’s fitness to command as his disrespect shown to all of us retired veterans is inexcusable. His superiors at the 20th Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command headquarters should get involved. One of the many retired vets I spoke to ... suggested a class-action lawsuit to force him to afford us the base access and shopping rights we justly are entitled to. I hope it does not come to that for his sake.

SILVIO DELL’ANGELA Albuquerque