As a young man, Ivan Williams served two tours in Vietnam, but decades later he’s finding it hard just to walk across the parking lot. For him, the walk is an arduous journey.

“Abysmal.  It’s bad and very seldom can I get up close. I usually have to park at the other end of the parking lot,” said Williams.

He’s talking about the parking lot of the V.A. Medical Center and he’s not alone.

“It’s really, really hard to find a parking spot,” said fellow vet Carl Malbrought.

“It’s almost impossible if you don’t get here before 7 a.m. It’s really bad, really bad,” said Joe Davis who also served his country.

That is especially true given the average age of the veterans seeking treatment.

Carlos Escobar is with the Department of Veteran Affairs. “Our veterans, the average age is over 55-years-old. As you can imagine it becomes a hard fact to find parking to get to their appointment.”

It’s a problem caused by the high cost of parking elsewhere in the medical center.

It’s no secret that parking is at a premium at the medical center.

If you work at the medical center, it’s also no secret veterans park for free at the VA hospital.

So, apparently in an effort to save a few bucks, people who work elsewhere are parking here and busing to their jobs.

“I have witnessed three or four cars park and a van will pull up and these people will get out of their cars and get in this van and they zoom off and you can see they’re in medical attire,” said local veteran Isaac Boles.

When we shared that with Ivan Williams he was no longer just short of breath, but also at a loss for words.