VETERANS DEMAND HELP FOR HOMELESS VETS AFTER DEADLY BEATINGS

Dozens of veterans gathered at Government Center in downtown Miami on
Wednesday afternoon to speak out against two brutal killings of homeless
veterans since mid-November in Miami.

Todd Hill's head was bashed in with an iron pole at 3 a.m. Friday as he
slept on a bench overlooking the Miami River. The 41-year-old Gulf War
veteran died at the hospital hours later.

Ernest Holman's body was found beaten to death behind a Liberty City bus
bench on Nov. 17. The 67-year-old frequented the local Veterans Affairs
hospital, according to Robert Pickett, Holman's former boss at the
Brownsville junkyard where he once worked.

Charles Buford, president of VetsUnited.org, spoke in front of several
veterans and passersby Wednesday at noon, demanding more assistance in
taking homeless veterans off the streets.

But the chairman of Miami-Dade County's Homeless Trust, Ron Book, met with
Buford at the rally to make his point clear: The help is there. Homeless
veterans aren't taking it.

"I have available beds in my facilities," Book said. "There are other
issues here."

What keeps homeless veterans from taking part in the several programs
available through the Miami VA healthcare system or other local nonprofit
agencies meant to help them is unwillingness to give up drug addictions
and take medication for behavioral issues, Book said.

"Every person here had an opportunity to get off the streets," he said,
pointing at the crowd.

Hill, the discharged Marine who was killed before dawn Friday, may be one
example, according to a friend and former fellow employee, John
Lineweaver.

Just three years ago, Hill had his life together, Lineweaver said. Hill
had an apartment and was a responsible and reliable security guard at a
downtown skyscraper. He once earned the Security Guard of the Month award.

But the clean-cut man Lineweaver remembered looked very different from the
bearded man he saw on the news Friday.

"He looked weathered, aged," said Lineweaver, who was once his manager.

The change occurred about two years ago, when Hill fell into a deep
depression likely caused by his traumatic memories of his experience in
the Gulf War, Lineweaver said. Hill became an alcoholic and soon lost his
job and apartment.

"He went homeless because, at the time, he was too proud to ask for help,"
Lineweaver said.

Hill joined what the Miami VA estimates is a group of 250 homeless
veterans in Miami-Dade County.

Hill's bloody body was found Friday. Miami police arrested 29-year-old
Sedrek A. Singleton later that day, charging him with first-degree murder.

According to police, Singleton confessed to the crime. He is being held in
jail without bail.

At the rally, two veterans folded a U.S. flag in ceremonial fashion as
dozens nearby saluted. Buford led the men in prayer, remembering Hill and
Holman.

"They did not die in vain," he said. "If they did die in vain, we would
not be here."

State Rep. James Bush III, who was approached by Buford and other
veterans, said he has contacted the Miami VA and will help organize Hill's
burial.

According to the county's medical examiner's office, Holman's body has not
yet been claimed.