National Guard Returns to Retirement Home Amid New Fears of Unrest

The burned-out buildings along Vermont Avenue have been boarded up or razed, the sky is mostly clear of smoke and embers, and looters no longer rule the streets. But the National Guardsmen of Troop Bravo, 1-18 Calvary Squadron, Army National Guard, returned Saturday to South-Central Los Angeles.

Their mission this time was largely one of public relations: a reunion with the residents of the Vermont Knoll Retirement Center, a senior citizen’s home where the soldiers bivouacked during part of last year’s civil unrest. By all accounts, close ties developed between residents and the troops, who are based in Colton, near San Bernardino.

“It was one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve ever had,” said Capt. Alan Skidmore, a music executive when he’s not on active guard service. “We actually felt like we were doing something for our own people.”

But beyond the obvious benefits for the Guard’s image, Saturday’s visit carried a pronounced subtext. Guard officials, harshly criticized for their units’ chaotic and slow response to last year’s riots, declared that a swiftly reacting force--bolstered by special riot training--is now better prepared than ever to confront trouble-makers swiftly.

“The California National Guard is trained, equipped and ready,” said Maj. Gen. Tandy K. Bozeman, state Guard commander, who visited the retirement home and spoke to the press. “There will be no delay of any sort.”

The visit is part of a weekend-long series of Guard-sponsored community events, including luncheons scheduled for Sunday at armories in Compton, Bell, Gardena and Long Beach. As the trial of four Los Angeles police officers accused of violating the civil rights of motorist Rodney G. King enters its final phase, Guard officials are clearly anxious to reach out for support in areas where law enforcement often draws criticism.

“We’re fellow members of the community,” said Bozeman. “We’re citizen-soldiers.”

On this, the first weekend of the month, most of the state’s 25,000 National Guard troops were in their armories and bases conducting their monthly drills. Many citizen-soldiers interviewed at the senior citizen complex here and at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center seemed resigned to the probability that their services would once again be called upon. Many said they had bags packed and ready to go.

“Everybody’s under the impression--and I think it’s a fact--that it’s going to be a lot worse this time,” said Sgt. John Dalbey, a military policeman at the reserve center who has a special insight: He’s a full-time Los Angeles police officer, assigned to South-Central. “There’s thousands of weapons missing from the last time. They’re not going to use those for deer hunting. You draw your own conclusion.”

Another Los Alamitos guardsman, Pvt. Frank Wollenweber, works at a North Hollywood gun shop. Sales have been brisk in recent weeks.

“We can hardly keep the shelves filled with stock,” Wollenweber said Saturday as he broke for lunch during his day’s drills.

For new recruits, the possibility of a spring call up could be particularly challenging.

“There is a fear of the unknown. You don’t know what to expect,” said Al Bianconi, 22, a security guard who joined the Guard last year, hoping to improve his chances of becoming a police officer. “I’d rather not be one of those people out on the sidelines, watching TV.”

During a barbecue lunch at the retirement home, many other guardsmen also indicated that they believed that deployment was probable.

“I’ve got to believe we’re going to be called up, if only as a precaution,” said Sgt. John Mejia, a Rialto equipment operator, who was among the soldiers in fatigues mixing with the elderly residents. “We’re ready to roll.”

Like others, he recalled pulling into Los Angeles in the pre-dawn hours of May 2, columns of smoke and the red glow of flames providing a surreal backdrop. “It was like a movie,” Mejia remembered.

Anxieties have risen in recent days as the closely watched trial appeared to be heading toward a climax.

“Everyone’s asking us: ‘When you going on duty?’ ” said Cpl. John Dotter, of Pomona. “You’ve got to be a little nervous.”

When soldiers arrived at the besieged retirement home last year, they found frightened residents sleeping in corridors. The complex was without power and gas for more than a week.

“Sure we were glad to see ‘em,” said Mordine Howard, one of the complex’s 120 elderly occupants. “I’ve never been so scared. It’s one thing to see something like this on TV, but it’s something else to be here watching the blazes crackling on Vermont Avenue.”

Residents protected the complex during the worst of the riots, at one point forming a human shield in front of the two-story building. But occupants credited the soldiers with helping to restore stability at a delicate time, ensuring food deliveries and some semblance of normalcy in a terrifying period.

“They were sensational,” Howard said. “There was a lot of respect in just seeing those tanks go on the street. . . . Sometimes you’ve got to let the hoodlums know who’s in charge.”