ORTING, Wash. — A handful of military veterans in Orting say they're being forced out of their homes at an RV park, although the local VFW that manages the property says the facility was never intended to house permanent residents.
The dispute has caused frustration and anger within the tight-knit community just off of Pioneer Way East.
"I was hoping I'd die here. That ain't gonna happen. Now I gotta die somewhere else," said 69-year-old Walter Copp, who told KING 5 he's lived at the park for nearly 30 years. "I was so mad, I couldn't see straight."
Copp and other residents spoke to KING 5 on Friday.
They said the deadline to vacate the property was Saturday, after receiving a 30-day notice to do so.
Representatives with the VFW Post 969, which manages the property, dispute the timeline.
Post commander Gary Nisker told KING 5 by phone that residents were given roughly two months' notice. He said the decision boils down to the fact the park operates on a seasonal basis, from May to September, in large part due to the threat of flooding during the offseason.
"We're not going to put a soldier or combat veteran out on the street intentionally," said Nisker. "They all have [access] to the bylaws, they all know what the dates are and some don't want to go [so] they're making up excuses."
Nisker said previous park managers, who worked under the direction of the VFW, let the rules slide and allowed some tenants to live on the property year-round.
"That shouldn't have happened," he said. "The deal is they're supposed to go home at the end of the summer... We do this for the benefit and recreation of veterans that have been to foreign wars (but) every fall, we do have some issues because it's a pretty cheap place to stay."
For longtime residents like Copp, the news has been difficult to handle.
"I think I wasted 30 years of my life for nothin' here. And that's what really irks me. It's b---s---."