Letters: Generals’ quarters

Re “Top officers’ quarters are their castles,” July 21

To suggest that taxpayer dollars are being wasted on high-quality housing for military commanders offends a country grateful for the selfless work of these American heroes.

Marine Gen. John F. Kelly, whose Florida home came under scrutiny by The Times, is one of America’s greatest patriots. While serving with distinction in Iraq, Kelly fought alongside his troops when his convoy was unexpectedly attacked in the same 2004 fight that killed Marine Pfc. Chance Phelps, whose story was told in an HBO movie I co-produced. Years later, Kelly lost a son on that same battlefield.

Write about these heroes, and encourage improved healthcare for our veterans. If Kelly requires a home for his family while serving, the cost to taxpayers pales next to the price soldiers like him and others pay to defend our country.

Brad Krevoy

Los Angeles

How does our government rationalize spending so much on generals’ mansions when we have veterans living on the streets, needing organizations like Wounded Warriors to get them the care they need?

Maybe our generals should be required to house a few veterans in their extra rooms.

Sally Currie

Pasadena

As a restaurateur on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu who knows a number of the senior military officers occupying these “mansions,” I searched the article in vain for the necessary balance that this subject requires.

This includes the total compensation these senior officers receive, including the use of these houses. It’s a fraction of what corporate chief executive officers earn for managing equivalent people, assets and budgets.

George A. Vandeman

Pacific Palisades

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