Posted on: Monday, April 8, 2002

Bay Area veterans losing PX at Presidio

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — With military personnel dwindling in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Pentagon plans to shutter the area's only commissary and post exchange by the end of May at the 220-year-old Presidio.

Retirees are starting a petition drive to save the discount stores, but it appears to be a losing battle.

"The military was smart enough to figure out the economics didn't work," said Ron Sonenshine, a spokes-

man for the Presidio Trust, which manages most of the 700 buildings at the former U.S. Army base.

The closure will force hundreds of retirees and active-duty personnel to drive an hour to other bases to keep shopping at bargain prices.

"For retirees, especially senior citizens, it's really devastating," said retired Master Sgt. and Korean war veteran Earl Gearlds, 70.

Gearlds said he and other retirees will have to carpool to Travis Air Force Base or Moffett Field, which will be difficult for elderly people in poor health and those who don't have cars.

The commissary and post exchange serve fewer than 100 enlisted people and 6,000 retired military in the Bay Area. But those who shop there say the stores provide a community.

"It's more than a place to buy groceries," said Morris Liston, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.

Liston, a widower at 83, saves 30 percent by shopping at the store at least once a week. The trips allow him to meet other service personnel and feel a smidgen of pride and nostalgia for fighting in World War II.

"This is my reward for my service," Liston said. "Now it's like nobody gives a damn."

Assistant Secretary of Defense Charles Abell, in a Feb. 24 letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other lawmakers, said the closure was a matter of efficiency, with no active-duty military assigned to the installation and very few living in the area. "The commissary is not included in the long-range plans of the Presidio Trust," Abell wrote.

The commissary and PX occupy choice real estate with a prime view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands and Alcatraz.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, wants the buildings made into a West Coast immigration museum similar to Ellis Island near New York.

Sonenshine said the trust would entertain ideas from the public on what should be done with the structures.

"This is a real letdown," said Liston, loading his groceries. "You don't make much money in the military, but you appreciate what you have, so this really stings."